In 2005 , Rediff.com published that Khan had established himself as a leading actor of Hindi cinema with starring roles in the drama '' Parineeta '' and the comedy-drama '' Salaam Namaste '' . An adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay 's 1914 Bengali novella by the same name , '' Parineeta '' was directed by Pradeep Sarkar , and narrated the love story of an idealist ( Lalita , played by Vidya Balan ) and a musician ( Shekhar , played by Khan ) , the son of a capitalist businessman . Although the film 's producer , Vidhu Vinod Chopra , considered Khan to be too inexperienced for the part , he was persuaded by Sarkar who felt that Khan was perfect for the role . The film garnered critical acclaim upon release and Khan 's portrayal earned him his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor . Derek Elley from '' Variety '' wrote , " Khan , who has gradually been developing away from light comedy , again shows smarts as a substantial actor . " Siddharth Anand 's '' Salaam Namaste '' became the first Indian feature to be filmed entirely in Australia and went on to become the year 's highest-grossing Bollywood production outside of India with worldwide ticket sales of . The film tells the story of a contemporary cohabiting Indian couple and their subsequent struggle with an unexpected pregnancy . Khan played the role of Nikhil Arora , a single modern young man who leaves India to make his own life in Melbourne . The critic Taran Adarsh praised Khan for delivering his third successive performance and Khalid Mohamed noted that he " rescues several untidily written scenes with his neat wit and that flustered ... facial expression . " He next played the protagonist in the English language art film , '' Being Cyrus '' ( 2006 ) , co-starring alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia . Directed by debutant Homi Adajania , the psychological drama revolves around a dysfunctional Parsi family with who Khan 's character moves into . The film received predominantly positive reviews , and Khan was particularly praised . Later in the year , he portrayed the character of Iago in '' Omkara '' , the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare 's '' Othello '' . Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj , the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh . The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival . '' Omkara '' was received positively by critics , and Khan went on to receive major acclaim earning the awards for Best Performance in a Negative Role at the Filmfare , Screen , Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies ; his performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the " Top 80 Iconic Performances " by '' Filmfare '' . '' Variety '' described it as a " powerhouse performance " and wrote that " i t is Khan 's movie through and through , in a performance of rugged , contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in '' Being Cyrus '' . It is smart casting , superbly realized . " By 2007 , Khan was keen on branching out into film production to " explore various genres of commercial and intellectually stimulating cinema " . The critical success of '' Being Cyrus '' led him to create Illuminati Films and partner up with producer Dinesh Vijan , someone whom he shared a " like-minded perspective and ideology ... with regard to cinema " . Khan next reunited with producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in the epic drama '' Eklavya : The Royal Guard '' ( 2007 ) , alongside Amitabh Bachchan , Boman Irani , Sharmila Tagore and Vidya Balan . Set in the state of Rajasthan during the early years of Indian independence , the movie revolves around a jealous and ungrateful ruler and his ailing wife . Although the film did not succeed at the box office , it was chosen as India 's official entry to the Oscars . BBC Online described the film as a " cinematic experience " and praised Khan 's growth as an actor , particular noting his scene with Bachchan 's character . Following an appearance in the poorly received action-comedy '' Nehlle Pe Dehlla '' , ( a production that had been delayed since 2001 ) Khan featured opposite Rani Mukerji in the family drama , '' Ta Ra Rum Pum '' ( 2007 ) . Directed by Siddharth Anand , it received mixed reactions from the critics but earned over in India and abroad . Writing for '' Hindustan Times '' , Khalid Mohamed praised Khan for displaying a new maturity but Rajeev Masand thought that neither he nor Mukerji " are able to make much of an impression because their characters are so unidimensional and boring . " Khan received further success in 2008 , starring in the Abbas-Mustan thriller '' Race '' with an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor , Akshaye Khanna , Bipasha Basu , Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy . The feature was loosely adapted from the 1998 American film '' Goodbye Lover '' , and became one of the biggest box office hits , earning worldwide . CNN-IBN 's Rajeev Masand found Khan to be a standout among the ensemble , adding that he has " the least dialogue but the one who makes the best impression " . This was followed by three projects produced by Yash Raj Films : the action-thriller '' Tashan '' , the fantasy-drama '' Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic '' , and the animated film '' Roadside Romeo '' , all of which were not successful
2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
Saif Ali Khan