Saim Hyder: My anthology will have flavours of both India and the US

New York-based Lucknowite Saim Hyder is on a mission to create an anthology of which he has shot for the first one in the US, second in his hometown and the last one he is all geared up to shoot abroad again.

On his visit to the state capital, the actor-producer says, “I have completed Inferno Paradiso in the US before pandemic, and it did rounds at different film festivals as well. In June 2022 I shot Karonda Keema in Lucknow in which I played the lead along with actors from Delhi and hometown. National Award-winning music director Bishakh Jyoti has given the score. Soon I will be flying back for my third film.”

He is looking forward to create content which is international with Indian touch. “Three films with different flavours will sum up my anthology. I have tried to experiment working in two different countries simultaneously. In the US we have agent system where you must hire people and things work smoothly but in India you need to get into everything yourself – right from the auditions to post-production but then it’s immensely satisfying.”

In 2021 he played the second lead in the eight-episode series Papa Ka Scooter which is streaming on an OTT platform. “After my college in Lucknow I went to New York for my masters and realised that my calling in life is acting. Since then, I have done several Broadways including Bonafide Women, One Nation Under God, Cherry Orchard and films like Patrons, Larry Bought Lemon besides hosting TV and radio chat shows. I also have a production house there,” he adds.