Mumbai: Saqib Saleem said success in the Hindi film industry doesn’t always lead to more work, something he has experienced firsthand despite earning acclaim for projects like ‘83’, ‘Rangbaaz’ and ‘Citadel’. The 38-year-old actor calls himself a searcher who is always looking for the right opportunity.
“There’s so much work happening. There is OTT and theatrical; you have to find the right fit for yourself. Not every project that is happening is for you. So, I’m a searcher. I keep roaming around. And it’s not as glamorous as it looks. I’ve been appreciated for all my work, but every project and film has been hard work. Nothing comes easy here. It’s not like that ‘he was in ‘83’ or performed well in ‘Citadel’, so let’s offer him work’. That’s not the case. This business is very different from every other business; the hustle is always on,” Saleem told PTI.
The actor made his debut with the 2011 hit ‘Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge’ and followed it up with successful releases such as ‘Mere Dad Ki Maruti’, ‘Bombay Talkies’, ‘Dishoom’ and ‘Hawaa Hawaai’. He also earned significant praise for his work in OTT series such as ‘Rangbaaz’, ‘Crackdown’ and ‘Citadel’.
Saleem said he values his early success, particularly when critic Taran Adarsh called him the ‘find of the year’. However, the negative reception of 2018’s ‘Race 3’ served as a turning point.
“I realised that going forward I should do roles that I like and even the audiences. But I never regret doing anything. And ‘Race’ has been a great learning experience for me, having worked with such legendary actors. I realised that I have to carve my own journey and figure out what I want to do and not because your agency told you to do this film, because it’ll be good.”
The actor said he is moving beyond ‘conventional’ roles with his latest OTT show, ‘Kaptaan’. In the show, he plays the role of Samardeep Singh, a cop, who balances a commitment to justice with his own personal demons and past failures.
Saqib has a diverse line-up of projects in the pipeline, including his home production film, ‘Baby Do Die Do’, which stars his actress-sister Huma Qureshi. “There is a series which Huma and I’ve written together that we want to create. We have a small company called ‘Saleem Siblings’, where we are making, putting together things and writing,” he said.