BizAsia meets Saqib Saleem ‘Oculus’ remake sets in London
Saqib Saleem entered Bollywood with a chocolate boy image in Yash Raj Films�۪ ��Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge�۪ (2011).�� The promising actor, who also impressed the audience and critics alike with his performance in ��Bombay Talkies�۪ (2012), is now looking forward to the release of his first horror movie next year.
BizAsia had the opportunity of spending time on the sets of the untitled Prawaal Raman film, which is a remake of the Hollywood horror film, ��Oculus�۪ (2013).�� Following is our exclusive chat with the film�۪s leading actor, Saqib Saleem, who spoke about his career and personal life.
You made your debut with Yash Raj Films and it�۪s been quite a while since you worked with them.�� Do you think you will be working with them again?
My first film was with them, my second film was with them and Inshallah my next film will be with them.
The equation between you and YRF is still well?
It�۪s all lovely.�� Those are the guys who made me realise I can be an actor.�� So, whether it�۪s Adi (Aditya Chopra) or Ashish Patel, the entire team back at YRF are the ones who made me.�� I�۪ll do a film with them, of course, this year, Inshallah.�� We are making a sequel to an earlier hit of mine, ��Mere Dad Ki Maruti�۪ (2013).�� Expect more craziness, more fun when you see the second part.
Will the original cast, besides yourself, be retained for the sequel of ��Mere Dad Ki Maruti�۪?
Hopefully.�� In all likelihood, yes but then we will add certain characters to the film to make it even crazier.
The ��Oculus�۪ remake you are shooting for at present��is quite different from the films that you have done so far.
That is the whole point of being an actor, that we can do different kind of films.�� You need to test waters if you are a good actor, right?�� You also need to keep figuring out if you can do a certain type of role.�� Sitting at home and just reading scripts does not give you ideas.�� You need to get on set, play different characters, be different people and just act.
How did the offer come to you?
Relativity, the original producers of the cult horror ��Oculus�۪, wanted to remake it in India.�� They came to this guy in India, Vikram Kakkar of Thought Ventures and wanted to do it.�� Then they came to both of (Huma & I), saying, real life siblings playing reel life siblings.�� That got us excited because me and Huma have always wanted to do a film together but we never thought we would do it at such an early stage in our careers.
How is working with your sister, Huma (Qureshi)?
It�۪s been a great experience.�� It�۪s been an experience that to begin with was kind of not sinking in, in all honesty, because we happen to spend so much time together because of the fact that we are siblings, then you start acting together and I�۪m like, am I talking to my sister or am I talking to the character, what is happening?�� But I think we started working off each other really well because we know each other really well in real life, so that kind of transforms onscreen from real life; that�۪s been helping us.�� Also, it is a different kind of relationship we share in the film.�� There is a lot of love between us (in the film) but there is also a slight awkwardness because of the fact that we have been apart for twelve years.�� There is a lot of awkwardness but also a lot of love.
Judging by the original film, the characters are quite intense.�� How difficult have you found it to get into that mould?
Not difficult.�� It�۪s not difficult.�� Acting is not rocket science.�� Let me be very honest with these things.�� I don�۪t want to project a certain type of image about me that I am this intense actor, I don�۪t talk to people when I�۪m in character��_ I don�۪t do anything like that.�� I just like to express myself.
So it�۪s a no to method acting for you?
It�۪s great for whoever it works for.�� I am an actor who likes to come on set, internalise everything but don�۪t take too much time doing that.�� I prepare from the moment I say yes to a film but it�۪s not preparation like I go into hiding.�� I don�۪t distance myself from my friends and stay in character, lock myself in a room.�� In this film, I�۪m playing a guy who is taken into a juvenile asylum.�� So for me to get into character, am I expected to just go to an asylum and stay there for a month? There are certain people that do that but I am an actor��_ I need to imagine things and create stories in my head and that is what I do.�� Some people want to go by methods they have but I like to be very instinctive.�� I like to keep reading my script, keep talking to my director and irritating him with random questions that probably do not do anything for the story but I just need to talk.�� The director is the only person who can give you the answers, nobody else can.
Would you say you are quite spontaneous as an actor then?
I hope you say the same thing when you watch the film.
Do you switch off from your character when the camera is off?�� For instance, with the relationship you and Huma share��_ once the camera is off, do you go back to being the normal siblings that you are?
We are friends.�� Huma and I were not very close while growing up together.�� There is hardly a difference between our ages, just about a year or year and a half, so we never really became that close while growing up together in Delhi.�� However, when we moved to Mumbai and both of us became actors, we realised that you need family away from family.�� You need to be able to bond with somebody who you can trust and who you genuinely love; that�۪s my sister for me and I hope she says the same thing about me, if she doesn�۪t I�۪m going to kill her (laughs).�� It�۪s been very nice shooting with Huma and I think more than siblings, we have become really good friends.�� She knows everything about my life and I know everything about her life.�� That�۪s played a very important factor while shooting this film.�� The fact that we know each other so well, that works.
We have heard that Rhea Chakraborty, who you worked with in one of your earlier films, is also starring in the ‘Oculus’ remake?
I was her first hero.�� We haven�۪t shot together for this remake as yet.�� We start shooting together in about a couple of weeks but Rhea�۪s my sweetheart.�� I love her to bits.�� She�۪s one of the most fun people I have met.
That could make headlines, you know!
(laughs) I love her and I have no qualms about accepting that I love my heroine.�� If I don�۪t love my heroine, it won�۪t show onscreen.�� She�۪s a very, very good co-star.�� We shot for ��Mere Dad Ki Maruti�۪ together and hopefully we will shoot for the sequel together and we will be shooting for this.�� In fact, when they were casting for this film and they were looking for girls, I thought Rhea would be apt for it so I bounced it off Prawaal (Raman) sir, our producers and everybody seemed to agree and she came on board.
So is there a romantic angle in the film?
Of course.�� She�۪s my heroine and I�۪ll always romance her��_ onscreen, off screen, always!
Going by most Bollywood horror movies, they do tend to have a lot of songs and follow a certain formula.
This is not that film.�� This is a horror film, it is a psychological thriller and if we got too many songs, we can�۪t break into a dance number in the middle of all the intensity that we are trying to create.�� There are songs, yes, but songs that do not spoil the narrative.�� The songs do not disrupt the narrative and do not stop the story from progressing forward.�� We have made sure that the intensity of the film does not go but it is a Hindi film so there has to be songs.�� There is nothing unnecessary, no dancing songs or club songs.�� When you watch the film, you will know what I am talking about.
How has it been working with your director, Prawaal Raman?
He is a wicked mind.�� That guy has an evil mind (laughs).�� He is very, very sharp.�� I don�۪t know about others and can only speak about myself that once I come on a film set, I come with my own ideology on what I will do and how I will say the lines and emote.�� This guy breaks it down and breaks it down so simply.�� He has explained my character�۪s relationship with my sister, the mirror, the father.�� He has made my job easier and I want to work with people like that who really understand my style of working and I really enjoy his style of filmmaking.�� Also, he shoots really fast.
How long are you in London for?
Now I am here till the 9th of August, shooting for the film.�� Then my parents come down and I will take them out, show them London and probably go to Scotland.�� I have planned to stay back and see London for a week.�� I want to see London.�� I have been shooting all this while.
That must be��one of the highs of being an actor ��� you get to travel!
Precisely the reason I became an actor so I can travel, romance my heroines in the Alps or wherever in Zurich.
Is that something you hope to do?�� Romance in Switzerland for a movie?
Of course.�� I�۪m a filmy guy.�� I want to be a romantic hero.�� I want to do different kind of things and do not want to get stuck to one specific genre.�� That is why I am doing horror now, for instance.
Often in Bollywood, when actors do horror movies, they do get stereotyped and slotted into that genre.
That is my job to make sure I do not get stereotyped.�� I am making sure that the next film I do is completely different to this so that when people see me in that they will be like, ��wow, this guy did that and now he is doing this, interesting�۪.�� I want to keep maintaining that balance.�� It is pretty sad that sometimes in Bollywood, they don�۪t consider comedy films to be great films, which is why I had to do a film like ��Bombay Talkies�۪ (2013), for people to stand up and be like this guy can act and emote.�� However, in all honesty, comedy is the most difficult thing to do.�� It rips you apart.�� You have to make people laugh even if you aren�۪t feeling it.�� It is very easy to cry as you just put glycerine in your eyes and make a weird face and cry.
Would you say then that lighter films you have done, such as ��Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge�۪ (2011), were more difficult than ��Bombay Talkies�۪ for you?
Hell yes.�� At that point I had no idea about acting. ��I did not understand lighting, camera, anything.�� I was this new recruit on the team.�� I was a student on my first film ��� an inquisitive boy who wanted to know how everything works.�� I used to have many questions and would keep irritating my director until she would sit me down and tell me to calm down and stop getting so excited.
Did you have any acting experience before the movies, such as theatre acting like your sister, Huma, did?
Never.�� Huma did and I used to go pick up Huma from her theatre workshops and I used to be like, ��what is wrong with these people, why are they lying on the floor, why are they crying, why are they laughing, what is wrong with them?�۪
You didn�۪t grow up wanting to be an actor?
I am a very big film buff so I claim this myself that I am encyclopedia on Hindi films, after 1988 because I was born that year.�� After that, I have seen every film whether it is a C-grade film or the best film in the world.�� I was also a very big Filmfare reader.�� I still read Filmfare every two weeks, when it comes out.�� Sometimes I get featured in it and I go, ��whoa man, I never expected this�۪.�� I never thought people would pay money to watch my films but I guess these are things nobody thinks about.�� It has to happen to you for you to realise that it is actually happening.�� It took me a while to realise that I am a film star, I am an actor��_ sometimes, I still question.�� I have been told I do not behave like a star and I should be slightly more guarded, I should deepen my voice but that is not me.�� I don�۪t have filters in life.
In the long run, being your honest self is the thing that can work best.
I hope so!�� I just say be who you really are and that is what people love.�� They want to connect to you and know the real you, not somebody you are trying to project.�� That is what I try to do ��� just be me.
What are your expectations from the ��Oculus�۪ remake in particular?�� What do you hope to gain from it?
I hope the film is a blockbuster��_ 100 Crores, 200 Crores, 300 Crores��_ Whatever it has to make, it makes.�� The sky is the limit.�� I hope the film does well for the producers and makes them money.�� That is my only concern when I like a script and sign a film��_ it should work for the producers.�� If it does that, I am happy.
Finally, do you have any message for your fans in the UK?
I would like to tell my fans in the UK that I am having a great time in London.�� It�۪s a beautiful place, with great weather and I want to travel more and take my parents out.�� All of that aside, in the film, you are going to see a London that you have never seen before.�� We will try to spook you, scare you and try to make you emotional.�� Wait for the ��Oculus�۪ remake to be out early next year and expect the unexpected.
BizAsia��thanks Saqib Saleem for his time and wishes him all the best for his upcoming movies.
