‘Iama better person when Iam working’

Than is no better feeling For Saqib Saleem, there being on set; not even a birthday bash beats that

Actor Saqib Saleem feels alive when he is exploring a character, and he is glad that he is back on set to experience it again. That explains his busy schedule these days. In fact, he had a working birthday this month, as he is stationed in Goa for shooting an unannounced project.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better than a working birthday. I’m a better person when I’m working,” says Saleem, who

SAQIB SALEEM,

turned 34 on April 8.

“We work for almost 200 days in a year. So, I’d say that I’m a better person on those 200 days than I am on the rest of 165 days.

So, for me, it was very important for my sanity to get back on set... When work was shut, I wondered if I’d forget acting. I started having thoughts that I am out of practice. Now, I am so glad that things are back on track,” says the actor, who has done diverse projects — from playing a RAW agent in Crackdown to the upcoming horror comedy, Kakuda.

Ask him why skip a birthday bash, and he quips, “Ab birthday ki itni khushi nahin hoti jo 20s mein hoti thi.”

Here, he points out that he thinks he has matured, instead of growing up. “And I want my friends and family to vouch for it. But I genuinely feel that I have become better from what I was in my 20s,” says Saleem, who thinks this change is reflected in his work now.

“I read somewhere that an actor is all about the kinds of choices he makes. That thought really resonates with me. If you think you are a good actor, then show it to the people... I hope it shows in my work, too. I am really trying to push the envelope and do different kinds of parts, so that my choices tell people the kind of actor I want to be,” the actor wraps up.

An actor is all about his choices. I hope it shows in my work, too.

Actor