JOIN US Actor Saqib Saleem says he is jealous of emerging star Ranbir Kapoor and attributes his meteoric rise in Bollywood to his ability to be both a star and an actor.
Saqib, who has starred in four films since making his Bollywood debut in 2011 with 'Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge', feels Ranbir's film resume is to die for as it consists of commercial as well as off-beat movies. "I am jealous of Ranbir Kapoor and his filmography. On one hand, he does a 'Barfi!' and on the other 'Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani'. He is the perfect combination of a star and actor," Saqib told PTI in an interview.
The 25-year-old actor also showered praise on his contemporaries like Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor and National award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao. "I was blown away by Varun's performance in 'Main Tera Hero'. I called him up and said, 'Bro, you killed it!' I think he is a full entertainment package," he said, adding that he liked Arjun Kapoor in '2 States' and Rajkummar Rao in 'Shahid'. In 'Hawaa Hawaai', directed by Amole Gupte, the actor played the role of a skating coach to Partho Gupte's character.
When asked if he was apprehensive to play a character, who is not the lead, Saqib said, "It depends on how one sees things. I hate to compare my role with Partho's but I would say that my role is as good as his. The dream he sees of being a skater in the film, becomes my dream too. I never had any doubt regarding that." Saqib, who played a college student in 'Mujhse Fraandship Karoge' and 'Mere Dad Ki Maruti' and a homosexual in 'Bombay Talkies', says he wants to do different kind of roles and not be stereotyped. "I want to work in good films. I believe in content. I would like to do films, which I would love to watch. It is not that I would not do a socially-relevant movie but at the same time I don't want to get preachy," he said. Saqib, who is the brother of actress Huma Qureshi, is happy that his latest film is being appreciated by critics, audience and people from Bollywood. He said both he and his sister have decided to do one film a year from now on.
The actor said he was blown away by the performance of actress Kangana Ranaut in 'Queen'.
"I don't think I have seen a better movie than that in past five years. I could not find a single flaw. And if I could do one role of my contemporaries, it would be Kangana's role in 'Queen'," he said. Saqib, who has so far worked with new actresses, also wants to work with Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.
The actor will be next seen in 'Mere Dad Ki Maruti 2' and an untitled action movie.