Does Saif avoid female directors?

It seems Saif Ali Khan's stars don't jell with women directors. First Aparna Sen's maiden Hindi film Gulel sank after Saif kept her on hold for months before finally saying no. Then it was Zoya Akhtar who had to scrap Luck By Chance when Saif couldn't make up his mind.

Now a third female director, Sai Paranjpye, has reportedly been turned away. But Saif has no knowledge about Sai's project. Shooting for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Eklavya in Jaipur, Saif rebutted Sai's claim.

"I have never met Sai Paranjpye. I have no idea where this comes from. I don't know the lady at all. I wish her all the best. But I am not doing her film because I don't know her," Saif said.

He said the only film he had said yes to was Siddharth Anand's next. "I am very pleased with the way Salaam Namaste shaped up, and its box office performance. I heard Siddharth's next script.It's a metro-centric film. And Yes, I am doing it," he said.

After getting noticed in the United Kingdom and the Gulf countries, Bollywood is now charming its way into the Scandinavian country of Norway.

First Published: Jan 24, 2006 23:00 IST