For Saif, one of the perks of playing live with a rock band in Mumbai on Sunday evening was having his children in the audience watching him play. "I'm not a rock star. I'm an actor playing the guitar. My son and my daughter had a good time. And that was enough for me. It was nice to showcase my abilities on the strings. Parikarama are a great band. And I had fun."

But did Saif's kids enjoy a retro-rock performance by their dad? "Sarah said she hates Rock, but loves me. That's why she enjoyed it." But Saif didn't miss Kareena at the Bangalore and Mumbai gigs. "She's constantly with me. No need for her to be present with me physically."

Of the four scheduled gigs in the four metros, Saif has already completed two. "Both Bangalore and Mumbai were really good. However, we're averaging like 4000-5000 people per gig. And that's the audience for a closed auditorium or maybe a club, not a stadium. The concerts should've been done indoors like those small rock bands that play in night clubs."

Saif found the audience in Bangalore more receptive. "They were more passionate about rock music. They made a lot of appreciative noises. Like I said, the same number of people in a club would've been really terrific. I mean, come on… we can't be put on a platform meant for Led Zepplin! Anyway, Bangalore was fun. I believe the same is true of Kolkata where we perform next. Bombay is more into films. Delhi too has some great rockers. "

After the gigs in Kolkata on Feb 25 and Delhi on 27 Feb, Saif is done with rocking for now. "I'd love to keep playing. Maybe once in a while at some club, and become a good guitarist. But looking at the gigs, they're part of my contract with Seagram's. I've to work eight days a year with them. It's a professional obligation that happens to be a lot of fun. But for now, I've had enough. It's not as tiring as dancing on stage for the Bollywood shows. It's just 8 songs in 30 minutes. But after a while the hand starts aching."

Courtesy: IndiaFM