Saif Ali Khan compares Jaideep Ahlawat to young Sanjay Dutt after seeing his look in Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins : Bollywood News

Saif Ali Khan is all praises for Jaideep Ahlawat as the two share screen space for the first time in Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins, which premiered on Netflix on April 25, 2025. In a recent interaction, Saif opened up about his experience collaborating with Jaideep and revealed that he was genuinely surprised by the actor — not once, but twice.

Saif Ali Khan compares Jaideep Ahlawat to young Sanjay Dutt after seeing his look in Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins

Talking about his first impression, Saif said, “That’s a surprise for me also. Firstly, I was surprised by how thin he was. Because the last time I’d seen him as Hathiram, he was looking quite solid. And here he was lean, mean, badass, jarred, very sexy, giving young Sanjay Dutt vibes to me. I don’t know who it was.”

But that was not all. Saif further shared how Jaideep’s intense commitment to authenticity in his performance left him impressed. He recounted, “And then the other thing was, which I shouldn’t have been surprised by, but I was still surprised, was the commitment to the reality of a shot. So, if he had to cut somebody’s throat, the way he did it was even more, and I thought, oh yeah, that’s the way it should be. Because when you’re cutting, you should really slash.”

Directed by Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal, Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins is a heist action-comedy featuring an ensemble cast that includes Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Nikita Dutta, and Kunal Kapoor. Produced by Marflix Pictures, the film presents an adventurous story packed with slick action, clever humor, and engaging performances.

With Jewel Thief now streaming, the onscreen camaraderie between Saif and Jaideep has already caught the attention of viewers, who are praising the duo’s dynamic performances. Saif’s candid revelation only adds to the excitement surrounding the project, especially given Jaideep’s drastic transformation and his intense portrayal of his character.

Fans are now looking forward to seeing more collaborations between the two talented actors, who have brought a fresh energy to the heist genre with this Netflix outing.

Also Read: Saif Ali Khan talks about Rottweiler adventures and more: Jaideep Ahlawat and Siddharth Anand join in as they share more fun secrets from the set of Jewel Thief