After refraining from masala movies for years, Rahul Khanna, known for his performances in Deepa Mehta's 1947 Earth and Bollywood Hollywood, makes his foray into mainstream Hindi cinema with Saif Ali Khan's first production venture.

Rahul, actor Vinod Khanna's son and Akshaye's brother, has a very special role in the film being directed by Imtiaz Ali of Jab We Met fame. The movie also features Saif and Deepika Padukone.

Talking about Rahul's role in his home production, Saif said: "We needed someone with grace, dignity, charm, class and a sound educational background to play the role. Rahul was our first choice. Thankfully, he said yes."

Since this is Saif's own production and he is starring in it as well, how sizeable could Rahul's role be?

"Depends on how you define 'sizeable'. His role is pivotal to the plot and cannot be measured in terms of footage. For the film to be effective, it is important for Rahul to be effective," Saif said.