Saif Ali Khan says his character of an Indian Muslim in Phantom has a crucial undercurrent because he wanted to show that Indian Muslims also feel patriotic about their country.

"We haven't stressed much that he is an Indian Muslim, but according to me, it holds substantial importance as an undercurrent influence. Director Kabir Khan, I, and producer Sajid Nadiadwala are all Indian Muslims. So in a way, we wanted to show that Indian Muslims also feel patriotic," Saif said at a media interaction.

Saif plays Indian Army captain Daniyal Khan in the film, which also stars Katrina Kaif.

About his character, he said: "He is terminated from the army as he is accused of cowardice. He stays in Kashmir in a depressed state, having differences with his father and others.

"After numerous attacks, RAW thinks we are not responding enough and we need to hire a crazy person to go there and attack.

"He accepts as he wants to regain his respect and prove his worth to his father. His journey in the mission and if he is successful or not is what the film is about," he said.

Saif also said that Phantom director Kabir Khan has similarities with veteran director J.P. Dutta in capturing the rugged essence of the country.

He said: "Kabir Khan is like J.P. Dutta sahab. I think there are no other directors who can showcase India's ruggedness on the big screen. The manner in which the shots of Himalayas were taken or the one showing the rugged landscape of India are brilliant since he (Kabir) knows about these things and is interested too."

"Every film is just like the personality of the director and Kabir's personality is exactly like this," he added.

J.P. Dutta is well-known for depicting war and turmoil in films such as Border, Refugee and LOC Kargil. Similarly, all of Kabir Khan's films have also had themes based on terrorism, border, war and rural locations in films like Kabul Express and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Sharing his experience working in the film, Saif said: "Kabir made me work extremely hard especially in places such as Beirut and in the Middle-East." The film is set to release on August 28.

Source: Khaleej Times