Saif Ali Khan is basking in the glory his recent web series Sacred Games has bestowed upon him. The Netflix series is directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap. The actor who has been missing from the Bollywood scene for quite some time now will be back with a bang with his next flick in which he plays a Naga Sadhu. The actor who has been sporting long hair and a full beard for some time revealed to a leading daily that the look is not his own doing but the demands of his role in his next film, titled Hunter.

[caption id="attachment_100423" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Saif in Rajasthan for Hunter shoot with Kareena and Taimur[/caption]

Hunter is an action-thriller which is directed by Navdeep Singh and is set in 1780. Although Saif plays the role of a Naga Sadhu he will not appear nude. The actor told a leading daily, “I wear clothes even though I shouldn’t be because Naga means nanga. My character is a failed Naga sadhu, who has strong notions of revenge. The film is a drama set in Rajasthan. I even got my ears pierced for the role, which I was worried about initially. My hair has grown a lot. It bothered me throughout summer when I was shooting in Rajasthan’s sweltering heat. It took me 40 minutes to two hours sometimes to just get into hair and make-up for the part.”

RECOMMENDED READ: SAIF ALI KHAN ON SACRED GAMES ROW: “YOU MIGHT BE KILLED IF YOU CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT IN INDIA”

Saif, who has tried to do some unconventional roles over the years, says that his role in the forthcoming film is weird but a part of a lifetime. He said, “I’ve always felt that there is one entity that is giving me things that I don’t deserve. That’s how I feel for the role, also. It’s too good to be true and it’s a complete experience. And though it takes ridiculous two hours of make-up and hair, it’s like the journey of a character in a Westerner (a Western film), who goes into another space all together with his experiences. It’s so fulfilling to watch old forts in Rajasthan come alive because of these shoots.”

Saif has been going gaga over his role in Hunter. Talking about the same, the actor added that it was a difficult act to carry as it needed a strong self-belief in a different way - to make others and himself believe that he is the most dangerous swordsman in the world and that needed strong conviction. Talking about his role, Saif further stated, “This part continues to be fun. People have also told me that I have started looking different from the time I started shooting this film. I will soon be my normal self again, without the beard. Saif Ali Khan is a ‘character’ I am more used to being, while my part in Hunter is that of a person who is an animal at heart — a flat-footed wild fellow. Fifty days into the shoot and my spotboy also told me that something has changed in me. Some roles do that to you, I guess.”

Well, it would be interesting to see Saif wielding a sword and fighting on screen especially when we’ve seen such great Hollywood actors like Viggo Mortenson in Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.