Saif Ali Khan responds to Tandav writer’s allegations: ‘Not a writer’s place to be on set and direct’

Saif Ali Khan speaks about Gaurva Solanki’s allegations that he was not involved on sets of Tandav by the creative team.

Weeks after writer Gauarv Solanki claimed he was not involved on sets of Tandav by the creative team after he wrote it, actor Saif Alli Khan has said the director’s decision on sets is the last word. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the show will be Saif’s second stint on the digital platform post the successful run of Anurag Kashyap’s Sacred Games.

After Sacred Games, Saif Ali Khan will be seen in his second digital series, Tandav.

Saif told Mid Day in an interview, “It’s not a writer’s place to be on set and direct [the show]. What a director decides to do with the source material is up to him; he can chuck it or burn it. He can respect it or disrespect it as he deems fit for the story he is trying to tell. Ali has made the most of (the material at hand).”

However, Saif added that writers deserve more money than what they get as they “create everything” they do. “There’s no taking away the fact that writers need to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve more money, praise and love because they create everything we do. Good writers like Gaurav are gems. Neither he [Solanki] nor I can tell a director what to do. He is the boss. If Ali decides to say, please walk into the room backwards, it’s your job to do it. Unless he feels that the material has been tampered with, this shouldn’t even be a conversation,” Saif further told the tabloid.

Last month, Gaurav had said, “It’s ironic and unfortunate that after writing the script, I haven’t been part of the shooting. That’s new for me because I have usually been involved in the entire process. It’s like giving your baby to someone else, having them grow up in your absence and seeing them after they have grown up in a certain way.”

Follow @htshowbiz for more