Actor Saqib Saleem was recently seen as KD in Citadel: Honey Bunny. In this candid conversation, he shared behind-the-scenes stories of intense action sequences, his camaraderie with co-star Varun Dhawan, and the learning curve of collaborating with acclaimed creators Raj & DK. Saqib also reflected on industry challenges, evolving roles, and his aspirations as a producer and future director. Excerpts:
Did you have fun while shooting Citadel: Honey Bunny? How was your overall experience?
I had a ball. The fact that I love action and that I got to do a lot of it, especially in the Raj & DK (directors) style, was really fun. I made lots of friends. Varun and I did a film together and there’s a lovely relationship there. It was a really fun experience to work with other actors as well. We shot in Serbia, Nainital and other places… so it was a very extensive shoot but also very easy-breezy.
You missed the promotions of the show. There were rumours you had a rift with the makers…
It is important for your work to come out. Otherwise main kuch bhi kehta rehta aapko samajh hi nahi aata main kya keh raha hoon. Now it’s nice that the work is out and we can have a far more engaging conversation. I felt that the impact of my character would only come through once people have seen the show. Then it makes sense to talk about it. Maza tab hi aata hai.
The action sequences in the show are intense. Was there a particular scene that challenged you the most?
Action was tough. There’s an action sequence at Base 33 where Varun’s character comes to my place and we have a fight sequence on the staircase. It was our first action sequence during the initial days of shooting and I remember giving it our all. It was very exhausting. Both me and Varun were panting after the take. That was one tough sequence.
Recently, Varun revealed that you both got injured during a fight sequence. Tell us about that.
We are passionate actors. We just tried to push ourselves more. Varun punched me a couple of times (laughs). We injured ourselves but it’s all in good spirit. It was for the betterment of the show. It wasn’t a serious injury. We kept pushing ourselves till we got the perfect take. Just like dance, action also has choreography. You have to be in sync with the person you are doing action with.
Are you happy with the kind of roles that are coming your way?
I am happy but not content. I am happy that filmmakers are seeing me in a different light. It’s interesting to work with a director like Kabir Khan and play Mohinder Amarnath in 83 or play KD in Raj & Dk’s Citadel. It seems like a great privilege and honour to be working with these filmmakers. But of course, yeh dil maange more. You keep wanting more roles that push you and you really want to get to work everyday. That’s what I want. Every morning when I wake up, I want to get to work.
Do you ever feel it has become difficult for actors to get roles these days?
If it was easy then everybody would get it. I believe it is meant to be difficult. It is meant to be a competitive industry and it is meant to have a lot of talent all around. When I came here, I knew this about the film business and I entered knowing that there is competition. I don’t want to sit and complain that there aren’t enough roles. There is enough if you really put your head to it and push your boundaries. I’m also hoping that when people see work like this (KD in Citadel: Honey Bunny), they also see me in a different light so that it can open a lot more doors for me.
These days, roles are also offered depending on one’s social media followers. Your comments?
That’s highly deplorable. It’s really heartbreaking. It’s not that I have a problem with people having a certain fan following on their social media. But I feel there are two different lines of work – one is an influencer and the other is an actor. They should be looked at from the lens of who’s right for the part, in terms of their acting potential. But maybe that’s the law of the land now. Everybody is trying to sell a brand now. Everybody is trying to sell themselves and be like ‘Oh I’m popular, you should take me’. But I think more than popularity, what we should focus more on is the skill set of that person and if it will be good for the show or film they’re being cast for. I have no aversion to people who are really popular on social media and if they are good actors then they should definitely be cast. But casting someone only because of their social media followers shouldn’t happen.
Your sister Huma Qureshi (actress) recently said in an interview that she was dropped from projects midway, and her roles were also chopped. She mentioned such things have happened with you as well. What would you like to say about that?
Things happen but I don’t want to cry foul. In the past, these things have taken place but one moves on and learns. One also tries to not make the same mistake again. If you allow people to take advantage of you then you are also to be blamed. So things happen, you learn and move past them.
You have almost completed a year of being a producer…
We have a bunch of films with which we are almost ready. You’ll hear from us very soon in terms of our announcement. It’s an exciting time for us. Huma and I came here to be actors and it’s a big thing that we’ve become producers. We’ve kind of put together unique films which don’t need the gimmicks that we think are necessary to make films successful at the box office. I feel there is a plethora of talent out there but very little opportunity. So I hope Huma and I create an ecosystem for new voices to flourish.
Are you also interested in becoming a director?
I would be lying if I say that’s not the life goal. One day I want to direct but is it happening anytime soon? No. I think there’s a lot of learning that’s still left. Directing a film is not easy because everyone is totally relying on your vision. But in the future, I want to put all the knowledge of all these years into directing a film.
How do you think the film industry has changed since you started your career? What changes do you think are still needed?
Lots of changes. I only look at the positives. Now I think unconventional is the new conventional. There have been a lot of positive changes in terms of the kind of content we have. Of course, there are speed breakers every now and then but as an industry, we’re working towards making ourselves better. We’re reaching out to more and more people and making films for everybody. That should be the goal going forward.
