Amole Sir is one of the most chilled out guy I have met : Saqib Saleem

Being just three films old, Saqib Saleem already seems to a hot favourite not only with top directors but also with the viewers. He has been choosing his films very intelligently, and with his upcoming film Hawaa Hawaai due to release on the 9^th of May, he speaks about the film, his quotient with director Amole Gupte and his idea of success, in a candid chat with india-forums.com

How did Hawaa Hawaai happen?

I had just finished with Bombay Talkies (2013), and Deepa Bhatia, who is the producer and editor of Hawaa Hawaai, was also editing Bombay Talkies. So she had seen my work in Bombay Talkies, and at the same time Amole Sir was looking for someone to cast in the role. Later, someone called me from Amole Sir's office. He narrated the idea to me when we met and it instantly got me interested. I gave a look test, and the next day I got a call saying that I was selected for the role.

Tell us a little about your character in the film.

I play a skating coach in the film, Lucky Bharghav. I run a skating academy for kids. Its story of the journey of Partho and me, and how we have one dream that we want to fulfil in our life and how we work towards it. The character is not of a stereotypical coach, he is not hard on the children. He more of a mentor, friend or an elder brother to them

How was it working with children?

Firstly I had to learn skating, more importantly the terminologies of skating, because I play a coach in the film. Children can ask you anything, and you need to have an answer to it. With kids it's like if they don't like you at the first go, they will never like you, no matter what you do. (Laughs)For me it was very important that I create that bond with the children. I used to reach an hour before the shoot just to spend time with them.

How different has this role been as compared to your other films?

As an actor you are always looking to play different parts all the time. Bombay Talkies (2013) had been a break through from the kind of movies I was doing like Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Mere Dad Ki Maruti. Hawaa Hawaai too was a very mature character as compared to my earlier films. I want to figure out my space as to what all can I do. So this has been a conscious effort.

What was your experience like working with Amole Gupte?

Amole Sir is one of the most chilled out guy I have met. There is no pressure to match up to his intelligence level, because he makes you very comfortable. Also, Amole Sir has a very interesting way of shooting. He will have a bound script and dialogues, but when he comes on the set, he doesn't carry a single sheet of paper with him. He introduced me to two National Level Skating Coaches, Dheeraj and Ajay, to understand and be able to get into the skin of the character.

Do you have a coach or a mentor that you look up to in real life?

There was a former India cricketer Chetan Sharma, he was my coach for cricket. I always looked up to him because; he always looked at the sport as his passion and not his profession. That's one quality I want to imbibe in my life. As in whatever I do, even acting should be my passion. The second I think its work it tends to get monotonous and boring.

Do you believe that talent is all that one needs to make it big in life?

 Talent, Patience and Luck, I consider these three things; they all go hand in hand. Luck is very important, to get to do the right kind of film at the right time, is very important. Talent is the 2^nd most important thing for me, and the most important is patience. If you do everything in a hurry, it's always half baked.

We wish Saqib has a super speeding career, and all the best for all his future endeavours.