After Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan also champions family time for actors: 'I hate coming home and seeing...'

Saif Ali Khan emphasised family time over work, sharing his view of success and the importance of being present for his family, at a recent event.

Actor Deepika Padukone's reported exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit recently stirred chatter across social media. According to multiple anonymous sources, the decision was allegedly due to the actor’s ‘unreasonable’ demands—one of which included a strict limit of working no more than eight hours a day. Amid this, Saif Ali Khan also advocated for prioritising family while working and revealed that success, to him, means being present for his loved ones. (Also Read: Kareena Kapoor shares pic of Saif Ali Khan and Taimur jamming at home: ‘Have got my own band’)

Saif Ali Khan says success for him is to say no to work to spend time with family.

Saif Ali Khan says he needs family time with kids

While speaking at the Arab Media Summit, Saif shared that his idea of success is choosing family over frenzy. He said, “I hate coming home and seeing the kids already asleep. That’s not success. Success is being able to say, ‘No, I need to go home now to catch that half hour with them.’ We get four holidays a year, and when my kids are on break, I don’t work. That time is sacred. I’m at that crazy age where I have to call both my mum and my children. You think it’s just your parents you have to check on — then you realise it’s both.”

Saif Ali Khan says Success is being able to say no to work for family time

Saif also spoke about the importance of showing up in the small ways and said, “Working is important, yes. But so is cooking pasta together, having a meal, and focusing on the kids. That’s the real glue of life. Success and privilege, for me, is being able to say no to work and yes to time with my family.”

Deepika Padukone-Sandeep Reddy Vanga controversy

Deepika reportedly left Vanga's Spirit and was replaced by Triptii Dimri. She was labelled "unprofessional" for her demands, which included working only eight-hour shifts with a newborn at home. According to several sources, the actor also charged a substantial fee of ₹20 crore, sought a profit-sharing deal, and declined to deliver her dialogues in Telugu.

Shortly afterwards, a Pinkvilla report outlined the basic plot of Vanga’s film, stating that it is an A-rated thriller in which Prabhas plays a cop. The report also mentioned that the film would feature certain 'bold scenes' between the lead pair. Vanga then took to X to imply that the leak had come from Deepika, though he did not name the actor directly. He wrote, “When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) between us. But by doing this, you've 'DISCLOSED' the person that you are... Putting down a younger actor and ousting my story? Is this what your feminism stands for?”

On the work front, Saif will next be seen in the high-octane action thriller Race 4, a biopic directed by Rahul Dholakia. He also has an untitled project with Priyadarshan and a social thriller with Hansal Mehta in the pipeline. Deepika, meanwhile, is reportedly set to reunite with Shah Rukh Khan in his upcoming film King, which also stars Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Verma, Rani Mukerji, Saurabh Shukla, and others in key roles.