'I hated myself because...': Saif Ali Khan Opens Up Jewel Thief's Shooting, Finds THIS Similarity Between Jaideep Ahlawat And Sanjay Dutt

'Jewel Thief- The Heist Begins' cast in a recent interveiw opened up about shooting experience and more.

(Image: Instagram)

New Delhi: Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins, the action-packed heist thriller starring Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Kunal Kapoor, and Nikita Dutta, was recently released. Produced by Siddharth Anand, the film revolves around a high-octane diamond heist. Khan, Ahlawat, and Anand recently appeared on IMDb, sharing their experiences filming the movie and offering behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the sets.

When asked what drew them to the project after hearing the story, Saif Ali Khan said, “For me, it was the role and the story of a talented man with dark skills who stands against the system. He’s a rebellious kind of guy who’s carved out his place in the world. He’s a sympathetic character with his heart in the right place and acts for the right reasons. There's a line in the film where he says, ‘Sometimes good people have to do bad things to save their family,’ and that really resonated with me.”

Siddharth Anand added, “It’s a genre I love watching, and it’s always exciting to create something like this. I enjoy doing things that challenge me and give me sleepless nights.”

Jaideep Ahlawat said with a smile, “For me, it was simple — Marflix, Netflix, Saif sir, Siddharth, Mamta ma’am, and of course, blonde Jaideep Ahlawat.”

Saif also revealed that Jaideep reminded him of a young Sanjay Dutt, saying, “I was surprised at how thin he was! I remembered him from Paatal Lok as Hathiram, where he looked quite solid. But here he was lean, mean, a badass Jaat — very sexy, giving off serious young Sanjay Dutt vibes. What also stood out to me was his deep commitment to the reality of the scenes we shot.”

Recounting the first day of filming, Saif shared, “I remember it was a late-night shoot. We started at 1 a.m. and wrapped around 5 a.m. as the sun came up. It was the first time I met Jaideep. Honestly, I hated myself — it was the first day, and sometimes, I just don’t know what I’m doing. It takes a while to get into it. I was a bit nervous, a bit tired, and definitely a bit lost.”

He continued, “I was shooting with Jaideep sir’s dog in one of the scenes — a massive Rottweiler. I didn’t realize they were that big! The owner said I could do whatever I wanted with him, so I was feeding him biscuits and playing. At one point, I gave him a slight pull — he growled at me so ferociously. That’s when the owner warned me, ‘You can do anything, just don’t pull him!’”

When asked what surprised them about each other, Ahlawat said, “I’m just surprised to be working with him (Saif). I must’ve done something right in life to end up here. That, in itself, is a surprise for me.”

Saif echoed his earlier sentiments, “I was really taken aback by how lean and sharp Jaideep looked. And beyond appearances, his dedication to portraying scenes truthfully — that really impressed me.”