More than a decade after Agent Vinod released in theatres, Saif Ali Khan has candidly reflected on the film‘s underwhelming box office performance. Speaking to Variety India, the actor admitted that the ambitious spy thriller may have been influenced partly by personal ambition, while also acknowledging that certain creative choices prevented it from reaching its full potential.

Saif Ali Khan calls Agent Vinod “ahead of its time”; ADMITS Sriram Raghavan-directorial may have been driven by “vanity”

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, Agent Vinod was released in 2012 and starred Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in lead roles. The film generated significant anticipation before release but failed to sustain momentum at the box office despite a promising opening. Looking back at the project, Saif said, “I think of Agent Vinod as a film that might have been vain. But also, that film opened really well, you know. It’s just that it did not sustain because it probably wasn’t a tightly made film, or it went off track in many ways.”

The actor also recalled a remark made by director Sriram Raghavan while discussing the film’s shortcomings. “Or, as Sriram himself said, he put too many toppings on the pizza. But the idea wasn’t bad, and the title wasn’t bad, and it was the right film to make,” Saif explained.

Despite its commercial outcome, Saif believes the film had several strengths and may have arrived before audiences were fully ready for that style of storytelling. “Imagine a kind of spy movie ahead of its time, perhaps. It was a cool film, but it should have held more. Maybe we made some mistakes,” he said.

Saif also addressed the suggestion that personal vanity may have been the primary reason behind the film’s failure. While admitting that he was personally excited about the project, he argued that the film’s commercial performance cannot be attributed solely to that factor. “But my point is: it was vanity. I was excited to do that. I made the film for myself, but it did open well. So its failure was not because it was a vain idea,” he added.

His remarks come shortly after actor Lalit Parimoo, who was part of Agent Vinod, shared his perspective on why the film struggled. During a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Parimoo claimed that excessive involvement from the lead actors affected the director’s creative freedom. He further claimed that the writing and direction teams were unable to fully execute their vision, which ultimately impacted the final product.

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