To prepare himself for his latest role of a tabela owner, Saif Ali Khan is learning to milk buffaloes 

While actors Sunny Deol and Akshay Kumar have milked cows for a lark, Saif Ali Khan has learnt how to milk a buffalo to get into the skin of the character of a tabela (dairy farm) owner.

Khan is playing a tabela owner in Prakash Jha's Aarakshan, a film based on the violence that followed the implementation of the Mandal commission recommendations to reserve a large percentage of jobs for the backward class.

Khan is currently acclimatising himself to life on a dairy farm. Says Jha, "I am amazed at how focused Saif is on getting the details right. He is extremely responsive and attentive. Despite this role being a new experience for him, he has merged into the milieu well."

For the past month, a tabela has been erected on a set in Bhopal, and a total of 70 buffaloes have been arranged for the shoot. Jha says, "We created a tabela and got buffaloes from a dairy agency. We wanted the ambience in Aarakshan to look convincing."

We created a tabela and got buffaloes from a dairy agency. We wanted the ambience in Aarakshan to look convincing