Saif Ali Khan Opens Up About Bollywood's Growing Paparazzi Culture: 'My Life Was Fine Without Them'

Saif Ali Khan is not very fond of the paparazzi culture, and he has recently expressed his views on the growing presence of paparazzi everywhere. The actor, in a recent chat, shared that he believes the growing visibility of actors kills the sense of mystery fans have for their favourite stars. The actor also spoke about how the growing paparazzi culture has become a problem and stressed the importance of respecting personal boundaries.

Speaking to Barkha Dutt, Saif Ali Khan shared, “It’s a very weird relationship. Some people pay them to turn up, which is very cool, I think. With the media, you never really know who is a genuine media person. And if you say anything, you come across as spoiled. It’s a very tricky situation to say anything negative.”

The actor further continued, speaking about how, at times, the growing paparazzi culture can become a threat to celebrities’ personal lives, and said, “I think, it kind of takes away from the movie stars in a way. But at the same time, it brings them to your living room. In India, it’s not really paparazzi yet. Their ideal picture is of you doing something you don’t want to be seen, right? Like, sitting on the pot or something. That would be a good pap picture where you’ve seen a movie star devoid of their glamour,” Khan continued, adding, “That’s why the Americans and English don’t like the paparazzi, because it exposes them. I think it takes away from stardom in a huge way. And I think my life was fine without them.”

Saif Ali Khan’s work front

Saif Ali Khan is awaiting the release of his upcoming film Haiwaan, co-starring Akshay Kumar. The upcoming edge-of-the-seat thriller will hit the big screen on September 11, 2026. Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan is a taut thriller packed with suspense and high-stakes drama. The film also features a stellar supporting cast, including Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher.

Haiwaan is the Hindi remake of Priyadarshan’s 2016 Malayalam hit Oppam, which starred Mohanlal in the lead role. Adding to the excitement, Mohanlal will also appear in a special cameo in the Hindi version.

Saif was recently seen in Kartavya. Directed and written by Pulkit, best known for Bhakshak, Kartavya also stars Rasika Dugal, Sanjay Mishra, Zakir Hussain, Manish Chaudhari, and Saurabh Dwivedi.