Mumbai: Saif Ali Khan says there was a time when music acted as a catalyst in making a film successful, but the actor is unsure if the formula still works. The 47-year-old actor, who had musical hits in films such as "Hum Tum", "Salaam Namaste" and "Cocktail", said experimental phase Bollywood is going through has somewhat diluted the significance of song-and-dance routine.   

"The films would even get big opening if the songs were a hit. As we have grown or changed, there are less and fewer songs. I don't know if it is a good thing (or not). "In the outskirts of India and rural areas, and in cabs, people listen to Hindi music a lot. I think part of hero's charm is to sing songs. I don't know if we have lost that culture (or not)," Saif said.   The actor was speaking at the launch of "Swagpur Ka Chaudhary" song from his upcoming film "Kaalakaandi".   

"It is a great song. When we do a film, we need music to promote it and make it more interesting," he added. This year Saif was seen in two films - "Rangoon" and "Chef". The movies, hoverer, did not do as good as expected at the box office. Talking about the year gone by, the actor said, "It wasn't particularly great professionally. But it was a very interesting experience. I learnt a lot about acting and worked with a lot of wonderful people, who taught me new things.   

"I am a changed actor to what I was when I was doing 'Phantom'... I have managed to keep abreast and move with the current style and it is the greatest thing I could have achieved," he said. Saif added his agenda for 2018 is to keep moving ahead and the actor hopes "Kaalakaandi" impresses the audiences. Directed by Akshat Verma, the movie releases on January 12. PTI