When the teaser of Jawaani Jaaneman indicated that leading man Saif Ali Khan is going back to his comfort zone — read playing the quintessential commitment-phobic romantic hero from Hum Tum (2004), Love Aaj Kal (2009) and the like — it was worrisome.

One has come to expect better of Khan, who has been making gutsy choices of late, including being the first mainstream Bollywood star to shift to OTT. "It's a little early to judge the movie as generic," begins the actor, defending his choice. "The story has been made age-appropriate. My character here is an older version of the characters [I played before]. It's in the familiar space, and yet, it's a different film. One has to credit Nitin's [Kakkar, director] treatment for that. There's drama and comedy in how my character is struggling with growing up. Nitin has brought depth to it."