Saif Ali Khan has often made it to the front page of tabloids for his real-life capers. Recently, it was reported that the stars of the Indian T20 cricket team were miffed with him when he made them wait endlessly for the shoot of a commercial. For weeks before that the paparazzi had faithfully chronicled his growing romance with Kareena Kapoor as pictures of the twosome were splashed across dailies.

The star who had faced a lot of flak for his early performances came into his own with poised acts in films like Dil Chahta Hai, Parineeta, Being Cyrus, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Eklavya and Omkara. The transition from cool actor to intense performer, though it took a little time, was seamless. “I always had both sides in me – just needed a director who could show the world that. The light and dark shades are both essential aspects of any true artist’s personality,” says Khan, in his matter-of-fact, not up to much chatter stance.

No wonder then he has tried to raise the bar with every performance. Now even where he seems to play variations of his own character on screen (the urban dude in Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Ta Ra Rum Pum), audience expectations have gone up, inevitably. “That’s the nature of one’s evolution as an artist and professional. The bar must constantly be set higher. The moment an actor feels that he has peaked, is the first step down the road to mediocrity,” states Khan. In fact, doing something different, he has given the voiceover for an animated character in a 2008 Yashraj Films-Walt Disney release, Roadside Romeo and admits that he “honestly enjoyed it. It’s the first time a leading Indian actor has lent his voice to a character in an original Indian animated movie and it makes me feel proud to be a part of such a pioneering film.”

His royal inheritance – courtesy his father, Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi – and his elfin features – courtesy mom, Sharmila Tagore – have given him a distinctive look that has often defined his reel performances. Omkara’s Langda Tyagi came as a surprise. “I don’t know about royalty,” says the chote nawab, “but sophistication is a state of mind and I don’t think it’s something that can be acquired.”

The upheavals in Khan’s personal life seem to have given him a cutting-edge intensity on screen. And over the years he has gained control over his upper class diction to come up with desi dialects when called for. The sweet taste of success and the combination of different elements in his personality has made him the favourite of many brands. Referring to his reign in the ad world, the brand ambassador of several consumer goods says, “I suppose brands don’t sell products, they sell lifestyles; they sell dreams and aspirations and I am glad they feel that I have something to contribute to that process.”

Ask him how he has grown over the years and Khan’s take on himself is simple: “The one thing I have learnt is to take your work with complete seriousness but to never take yourself too seriously. It’s important to stay connected with the real world.”

The actor, who loves reading and playing the guitar, has often been considered the embodiment of a contemporary stylish person – so much so that his elfin charm appeals to even the teenybopper crowd. He dismisses all such opinion and adulation: “I don’t think about these things – people have their opinions and the moment you try and shape yourself around other people’s opinions you lose the essence of what makes you unique or special in any way.” No matter what he does on screen or off it, this Khan’s cool quotient – in reel and real life – has recently been steadily on the rise. Ask the chote nawab, who is normally seen sporting a T and jeans on what he thinks makes him so cool. His reply is brief: “Being Saif!”