By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

Barely a week after stories of his illness broke out and swamped the print and electronic media, Saif Ali Khan is back on his feet and promises to quit smoking for ever.

"I'll have to take it easy for a while. Nothing strenuous and certainly no smoking any more... In fact, my doctors told me my condition was brought on entirely by smoking. It causes deposits in the artery, which caused that clot. I've decided to quit smoking completely," Saif told IANS.

Saif was rushed to hospital when he complained of chest pain while practising for his performance at Stardust awards. The actor was discharged recently.

He is out of danger, but Saif is bewildered by and yet resilient to the knocks of life.

"There's bad news and good news. The bad news is that it was a blood clot in my heart. The good news is that it's been fully cured."

Today Saif and his heart have become best friends.

"Yeah, you can say that again. It's been a time of revelation for me. Though I came out unscathed, this hospital experience served up a healthy warning for me. I need to correct a few things in my life, mainly the smoking.

"There I was, with genuinely ill people, people who were suffering from cancer and chronic heart ailments. It just made me so conscious of my own life and my responsibilities."

The ceaseless surge of concern has moved Saif.

"I was so glad to see my family and so many of my friends from the film industry visiting me in hospital. I now intend to use my rest period, writing each of them a personal thank you note."

So has the experience made Saif more compassionate?

"I guess so. I never visited anyone in hospital. Now, I've decided to change that. It matters so much to have people who care for you when you're down."

Saif has one immediate regret. "I couldn't host the Filmfare awards. In fact, it would take me a couple of weeks to get back to normal."