Saif Ali Khan won’t miss out on a punchline. The 55-year-old actor sits in a comfortable, navy-blue monochrome kurta pyjama. A mischievous, childish grin on his face. We are meeting for a conversation on Kartavya, a serious crime-thriller and his recent OTT release. He listens intently as we open the conversation, describing his character (purely as per the trailer) as a cop stuck between personal and professional duties. Saif is quick to quip. “Yes! The trailer has been understood. I guess we can start now,” he says with an infectious laugh.

In Kartavya, however, Saif is too glum to guffaw. He plays a policeman Pawan under whose protection a journalist has been assassinated and he is facing the ire of his boss (Manish Chaudhari). At the home front, his brother has eloped with a girl from another caste and the village panchayat, along with his own father (played by Zakir Hussain), is contemplating whether to cut them up or shoot them. “I don’t think Pawan is crazy about his dad,” mentions Saif as he thinks about his character. “He is like a lot of men I know. He is a little rough but also lovely. A man with issues, confronted with a crisis which has made him realise that now he has to take a stand.” The film is set in a fictional village of Jhamli. “Somewhere in the mysterious North!” Saif butts in. “Never heard of the place.” Although his thick Haryanvi accent can give viewers a guess.

The film also features Rasika Dugal, who plays Saif’s supportive wife, Manish Chaudhari, as his bullying boss, Sanjay Mishra as his shady, cop partner, and Zakir Hussain as his murderously conservative dad. Amidst this theatre-bred talent, Saif manages to hold his own. He is free with his praise for his co-stars, especially Rasika. “She is fantastic. Working with her, I learnt that being calm helps. She was just there, acting so effortlessly and I was just hoping that I don’t look like I don’t know what I am doing. I have asked her how she does it and she replied she doesn’t know,” he says. “Maybe, she doesn’t want to tell me,” he adds with a grin. Saif often downplays his stardom and gets jokey-awkward when complimented. When we mention his commendable performances in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Omkara (2006) and Being Cyrus (2006), he is quick to deflect. “Somebody told me three good films in your career are enough. I guess, I am an acting institution!” he says.

Saif started his career in 1993 with Parampara but he got acclaim in the early 2000s, playing these happy-go-lucky charmers in rom-coms. But he always surprised with some experiments like in Darna Mana Hai (2003), from where his pivot towards dark, gritty cinema began. “The idea was never to keep on doing something that is working and make money to be in a stable zone,” Saif explains. “It was always about pushing yourself a little bit, while having fun and in the process maybe grow as an actor too. It felt more liberating and artistic. It’s funny you mention Darna Mana Hai because when I did the film, I actually wanted to see if my segment shines amidst the other stories. I am all for ensembles and multi-starrers. I don’t mind competing like that.” We also mention his cool, nonchalant performance in the Race films and Saif quickly shifts from serious to satire. “I had a small part in it,” he jokes. “It was a mature one. For a change I was playing the elder brother. I remember I had to slap Akshaye (Khanna’s) character because he has left his wife behind and has come home after partying with the boys. Great fun.”

For the final question, we try to give him a hard one. Since the film is about doing what is right no matter what, we ask Saif: “What is the duty of an artist in society?” He looks at the camera, does a “cut-throat-let’s-get off-the-air” gesture and laughs before answering solemnly. “People say it’s to hold up a mirror to society,” he answers. “I don't think you should blur the lines between politics and acting. But I might also play a guy whose actions I don’t stand for. I am not trying to say something is right or wrong, I am just playing a part as authentically as I can. Some people might say that I am a role model, so I shouldn’t be using bad language, shouldn't be smoking or shouldn't be beating people up. I don't know. Where do you draw the line?”