Pradip Sarkar with his wife Panchali discussing shooting plans in Siliguri. A Telegraph picture.

Siliguri, Oct. 28: Saif doesn?t act, he reacts.

If Sameer in Farhan Akhtar?s cult classic Dil Chahta Hai was Saif Ali Khan?s second coming, Shekhar in Parineeta promises to be the actor?s role of a lifetime.

Adman-turned-director Pradip Sarkar certainly believes so of Saif Ali Khan whom he has cast in the lead role of his next film Parineeta. ?He lives his role to the hilt and comes across as real,? gushes the filmmaker.

Sarkar, who arrived with a number of crew members in Siliguri today, said Saif was the ?natural choice? for the film.

After playing a frivolous Casanova in Mr Aashiq and a cold-hearted villain in Ek Hasina Thi, Saif is set to take up yet another ?challenge? ? playing Shekhar in the cinematic adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay?s novel of the same name.

The film is being produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Saif, accompanied by Diya Mirza (who has a guest appearance in the film) and Vidya Balan, will land in Siliguri tomorrow to shoot a song sequence.

The filming is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Sanjay Dutt, Raima Sen and Sabyasachi Chakraborty are the other actors in the film.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) is also set to lend steam to the movie.

Three decades ago Saif?s mother Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna had immortalised the toy train with the Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Kab Ayegi Tu song sequence. This time, a song sequence for Parineeta will be shot inside the toy train.

The sequence will be shot in the train on Saturday. The DHR has cancelled its holiday service for that day and asked those who had made bookings to collect their refund.

Parineeta will also be the first Hindi feature film for Vidya Balan, whose resemblance to Tollywood actor Madhabi Mukherjee was highlighted in Suhbha Mudgal's music video Kisson ka chadar, in which she played Madhabi?s granddaughter. Vidya will play Lalita in the film.

The movie may be based on a period classic, but the filmmaker promises that it will have a contemporary feel that will make it relevant for today?s viewers.

?The story is set in the sixties, but the treatment of the film is such that today?s generation will be able to relate to the story,? Pradip told The Telegraph..

?It is not an art film. It is a commercial venture which will have relevance to the present times,? said the adman, whose recent work includes the Cadbury series featuring Amitabh Bachchan and the Bengali version of the Thanda matlab Coca Cola advert.