People tend to forget we are basically actors: Saif Ali Khan

Mumbai: Actor Saif Ali Khan says people tend to forget that he and his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor are basically actors and it is the "most shallow" reason to see a film just because two people are involved off-screen as well.

"People forget that we are actors as well. Whenever we are together people tend to see us more as a couple. They stop thinking that we are basically actors. "The USP of a film will be different for different people. But I think this is the most shallow reason to watch a film just because two people who are involved off-screen as well as acting in the film. This should not matter," Saif said at a promotional event. Asked whether the increasing focus on his personal life was affecting his career, he said, "I don`t think so. All these things don`t last long. These are sensational and silly things." Last week, the 41-year-old made headlines after being arrested and released on bail for allegedly beating up an NRI businessman at a five-star restaurant in Mumbai. Asked why Kareena, his co-star in the upcoming film Agent Vinod, has stayed away from its promotions so far, he said, "It is not a strategy at all. I think it`s important for us to talk as individual actors as well... It is not required for the two of us to be present together everywhere," he said. Action-thriller Agent Vinod is made at a budget of around Rs 50 crore and will see Saif play a spy agent. The film will be release on March 23. "For the first time in my 20-year-old career my film is not for a sophisticated audience, but for a majority of the people," he said referring to his earlier works like Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste. Describing his new film`s story as an original idea, Saif, who is also producing the project, said the film has elements of a James Bond film and the adventures TinTin. "A film of this genre has not been made in India for a long time. We have tried to sum up all the films of this genre made in the 1970`s," Saif said. He also added that to give the audiences a `desi` feeling, a `mujra` was chosen in place of an item song. PTI