India, Sept. 27 -- Before he became a critically acclaimed actor by choice, Saif Ali Khan endured an early Bollywood journey that was anything but regal. In a candid conversation with Esquire India, the actor peeled back the layers of stardom to reveal a time when he was paid just Rs.1,000 a week, but with a bizarre catch.

At just 21, Saif married Amrita Singh, and by 25, he was a father. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he had real financial responsibilities from the start.

He recounts a time he was paid one thousand rupees a week by a producer who demanded he kiss her cheek ten times each time she handed him the money.

Though born into privilege, son of cricket legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and veteran star Sharmila Tagore, Saif ...