Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

Time and again, actors are heard stating that working on a particular film was akin to having a picnic. However, Saif Ali Khan denies that KURBAAN shoot was anywhere close to being a picnic. Instead, he and Kareena Kapoor went through some depressing times due to weather in America as well as the period of turmoil that India was going through during the shoot of Rensil D'Souza directed KURBAAN.

"KURBAAN was hard work. Period. In fact Philadelphia schedule was plain hell. It wasn't anything like a picnic shooting for the film", shudders Saif who is glad that the film is completed and is now ready for release.

Explaining the factors that made KURBAAN shoot difficult, Saif says, "It gets dark there at 4 PM itself. Moreover, it's so cold and at -10 degrees, it can actually get really depressing. Since we were shooting in synch sound, it was extremely difficult to get the pitch and tone right while delivering our dialogues."

It was during the shoot of the film that Saif and Kareena got the news around the terror attack which naturally upset them further. "Due to this reason, it was so difficult to concentrate on the film's shoot. Thankfully Bebo (Kareena Kapoor) was there with me at that time but still, both of us were very depressed", says Saif.

Since it was quite cold in Philadelphia, Saif and Kareena were required to wear layers of clothing. Later, for continuity purpose, they had to wear the same clothes in the summer of Mumbai. Other than the mental and environmental constraints, Saif and others also had a hard time adjusting to the locations that were chosen for the film's shoot.

"We were shooting in a tube and that's anything but fun", he remembers, "We had to shoot a subway sequences but being in a tube for hours at stretch is like being in an underground prison. Really, it is very disorienting. Who says shooting for a film is like being in a picnic? KURBAAN certainly wasn't one."

When asked to name one film which he considers as a picnic, Saif is quick to name Abbas-Mustan directed RACE.

"Now that's what I call as a real picnic", he says with a glee on his face, "Doing the film was quite easy since working hours were quite comfortable while locations were nice, easy and comfortable It was really simple work and I enjoyed a lot. It was really entertaining to drive fast cars, saying cool lines, be a hero and stuff alike. On the other hand, KURBAAN has me playing this complicated character which only makes it further difficult for an actor."