Saqib Saleem has almost completed a decade in the Hindi Film Industry. Having acted in some critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, he has carved a niche for himself in the industry. He now sheds light on how much he has changed over the last few years, why he has no regrets about his film choices, and how he’s still trying to figure out his image.
In an interview , when asked about how much he has changed, he jokingly said, “I am 32 and finally, I have grown up and look like a man, not a boy and I am happy with the transformation.” He then spoke about why he doesn’t have regrets about his film choices.
He said, “I don’t have regrets about my film choices nor do I think that I could have got that role or this film. Whatever I chose was a conscious decision from what was offered to me at that time. I enjoy acting and I don’t judge the medium. My primary job is to act and I love doing that.”
He added, “I have a film 83 coming out in theatres soon, so films and web aren’t different for me. People like to see you in a certain light and once you establish yourself then, you have to reinvent yourself to show others and yourself what more can you do. I am still trying to figure out my image. I just want to act and if I get a script that makes me wonder how would I do this, then that pushes me to do it.”
This year has been a particularly impressive year for the OTT platform, with one massively popular show after another. Shedding light on the same and how it has grown from strength to strength, the actor said, “People thought the budgets would be low and there was hesitation about doing an OTT project. But once a few projects came out they realised the budgets are as good as films. Today, the medium has grown and how. OTT is great for artists and it gives you space to try out different things.”
He continued, “In the longer format, one performs a character for four-five hours and that is quite enjoyable. Now, in a year, I do one or two films but on OTT, I have done two series, one film and with another one coming up in a few months. It gives me chance to work with many people and perform a range of roles.”
The actor made his Bollywood debut with 2011’s Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, and did films like Mere Dad Ki Maruti, Hawa Hawaï, Dishoom, and Race 3 later. He’s now gearing up for Kabir Khan’s ’83.
