Interview: 'Brat of the family' Saqib Saleem talks about Dobaara and his equation with sister Huma Qureshi

Bollywood actor Saqib Saleem, who is busy promoting his upcoming film Dobaara: See Your Evil, says he had a great time working with his sister Huma Qureshi on the sets of the movie.

Dobaara: See Your Evil is a horror movie, which is an adaptation of 2013 Hollywood film Oculus. The movie revolves around a mirror, that is believed to be haunted, and has a connection with the death of the central characters' parents, played by Adil Hussain and Lisa Ray.

Directed by Prawaal Raman, Dobaara: See Your Evil features Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem in the lead roles. The movie is slated for release on June 2. In an exclusive interview with International Business Times, India, Saqib Saleem talked about the film, his experience of acting in a horror film, his sister Huma Qureshi and a lot more. Continue to read excerpts from Saqib Saleem's interview on Dobaara.

IBT: How was it working in Dobaara? Is it difficult to do a horror movie?

Saqib: People think that when you do a horror film, it's very intense and always spooky on sets, but it wasn't like that. Because I was working with my sister Huma, it was a lot of fun. It was like a bunch of 12-year-olds trying to pull a fast one on each other all the time. But yes, working on a horror film specifically was difficult because it was my first attempt at the horror genre. Horror acting becomes slightly OTT (Over The Top) so one has to curb that down and make sure that one doesn't overplay the emotion. So it was difficult at the acting level but a lot of fun as I had Huma as my co-star.

IBT: Would you like to share some interesting anecdotes from the sets of Dobaara? You were shooting with your sister Huma Qureshi. How is she as a co-star?

Saqib: Like I said before, Huma and I behaved like 12-year-olds on set. We would always play pranks on each other and try and make fun of each other. This is how we are in real life as well. But when you will see us on-screen, we will be these intense siblings who are looking out for each other, protecting the other person, but the other one doesn't really understand it. Huma is a fun co-star. She has a different process than mine as an actor.

IBT: You or Huma -- who was the first one to decide that acting was what you wanted to do?

Saqib: I think Huma. Huma has always wanted to act all her life. She was into theatre in college and school. I was the brat in the family. I was clueless as to what I wanted to do in life. I played some cricket and I have worked with my father in his restaurant. And acting just happened to me. So yes, Huma was the first actor in the family.

IBT: You are not from the film fraternity, was it difficult to adjust here?

Saqib: Yes it was difficult to come here and adjust to this world. It is impossible for anyone to come here and be a part of films. It's just that you need to believe in yourself and your talent will speak for itself.

IBT: What kind of roles would you like do now? Also, tell us about the most difficult role you have played on-screen till date?

Saqib: I would like to be a part of different kinds of films and would like to do different kinds of roles. I don't want to limit myself to a particular genre. I want to explore myself as an actor. I am not a trained actor, I learn on every film set, from every director and from every co-actor. But I would love to do a biopic.

And the most difficult role if you ask me was my role in Bombay Talkies. It was not difficult to perform, but in my head I had pre-conditioned myself that leading man in the industry couldn't do part like that (Saqib has played a gay character in Bombay Talkies). But once I read the script and heard the narration, I thought I would be a fool to say no to this film. And thankfully people as well as critics liked it. 

IBT: Who is the dream filmmaker you want to work with?

Saqib: I want to be a part of Rajkumar Hirani's film because according to me he is the best director in the country. He even may make me a tree in the film, I just want to be a part of his movie.

IBT: What are your upcoming movies?

Saqib: Apart from Dobaara, I have another movie coming – it's a rom-com with Taapsee Pannu. It's produced by Vashu Bhagnani and directed by Aleya Sen. It's a film based in Delhi and London. I get to play a Dilliwala jo mein hu and bada maza aya mujhe. It will come out at the end of the year