Amid the ongoing debate about nepotism that is going on after Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic death, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has said that he was glad to shed his "privilege" and earn the respect of his colleagues with his performance as Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara. 

In a video interview, Saif said, "Being the kind of person I am, the films that I have done, there has also been a sense of privilege and lack of privilege, and people coming up the hard way and people coming up the easy way, that’s always been the undercurrent, especially in an ensemble like this, with some of these NSD guys and film institute chaps."

He further accepted that doors have easily opened for some in the industry than others. 

"They’ve come up purely through talent, while some of us, frankly, have had doors opened for us by the privilege of our birth and the parents we’ve had. So, given that undercurrent, when you’re on set and you do a scene and you are as prepared as anyone else and you deliver a line which is on par with if not better than everyone, then you feel better. And to earn the respect of those guys felt really important."

In an earlier interview to PTI, talking about nepotism, Saif had said, "Nepotism is a horrible thing. I am totally against nepotism. I have benefited from it for sure. Definitely, we have more opportunities than people who are not connected to movies."

(We reached out to Saif to ask for clarification on his comments and await his reply)