But the late 90s changed the game. Films like Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) began to showcase his strongest asset: . While the industry was busy crying in the rain, Saif was making audiences laugh with an effortless, almost lazy charm. He became the poster boy for the "NRI" or the rich Delhi boy—a character that was often frivolous but never malicious.

Saif’s filmography can be divided into distinct eras that mirror the changing tastes of Indian audiences.