When Mohinder Amarnath handed over his lucky charm, the red handkerchief that he kept in his pocket during matches, to Saqib Saleem, after the screening of the film 83, it was the best moment of the actor’s life. “I don’t need any award or recognition now,’ says the actor adding, “I was very anxious about what he thought of the film and whether he liked me playing him onscreen. During the premiere I was keeping an eye on him but then I stepped out with the intention of letting him enjoy the movie.
When I came back to the hall after the screening, we both looked at each other. He had the broadest smile on his face. That conveyed a lot. I hugged him and said, ‘Sorry sir if I have made any mistakes.’ He said, ‘Have you gone mad?’ and took out his handkerchief, put it in my pocket, and told me, ‘You have made me 10 years younger.’ That was the best!”
Pitch note
Saqib plays the pivotal role of Amarnath aka Jimmy in the recently released Kabir Khan directorial 83. The actor and an ensemble of 10 other actors depict roles of cricketers who had won India its first World Cup. Ranveer Singh plays the captain, Kapil Dev, and Saqib portrays the vice-captain, Jimmy. But it wasn’t a film that came to Saqib easily. The actor had to prove his cricketing skills before being signed on. “When I read the news about this movie, I got very excited as a cricket fan. I wondered who was playing Mohinder Amarnath because he was a key player in helping India win. I called Kabir sir and asked him if we could meet. When I met him, I saw a book about the 1983 win on his table, and that’s when I gathered some courage and told him I wanted to be a part of the movie.” But since it was an important role, Kabir wanted to know if Saqib knew how to play cricket. The actor who aspired to be a cricketer all his life had played in the Delhi and J&K state teams. “I undersold myself saying I have played a little. But when our coach Balwinder Singh Sandhu saw me play cricket, he knew I was a cricketer. By evening I got a call saying I have been cast as Jimmy. I feel I manifested being part of this movie. I would wake up every day and say to myself I want to play this role in this film,” reveals Saqib.
Keeping calm
Unlike Amarnath who is known for his calm demeanour, Saqib is known for his ebullient personality. So there was a lot of unlearning that the actor had to go through to get into the skin of his character. “Mohinder Amarnath’s character was difficult to crack. I am a mess, I am usually very restless, I say so many things that don’t make sense. But I had to play a person who was like the calm in the eye of the storm, who didn’t flinch or move, who didn’t say much and conveyed everything through his eyes. So to bring about this dramatic change in me, I started meditating a lot to become calm. I had to train myself to listen and absorb before reacting, instead of reacting without thinking,” explains Saqib, whose last big-screen release was Race 3. His outings on the web — Rangbaaz and Crackdown — have been successful, and with 83, Saqib has proven his acting prowess. “I had no idea that an unknown boy from Delhi would end up becoming an actor. It’s only now that I understand why I am doing this. Initially, I just wanted to be famous. In the last five years, I have started enjoying acting, and bad reviews help. You realize that you can’t be complacent. I understood what I needed to do to move forward,” he signs off.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax