Still have time for that: Saqib Saleem on marriage

The marriage season is on and celeb nuptials are making news, which makes Saqib Saleem glad as he loves desi weddings. The actor says, “I enjoy weddings. I’m from Delhi and we have really big farmhouse weddings. So, I’ve grown up attending them. I ensure people around me have a great time at weddings.” Recently, he was a part of actors Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha’s wedding which he says was “beautiful”. “It was at a lovely place with lovely food and great hospitality,” says the Rangbaaz actor.

Although a fan of the institution, the actor feels there’s still time for him to take the plunge. “Do I feel emotional looking at two people being in love? Yes, I do. But I don’t come back home thinking about my marriage. It is a beautiful institution but I feel I still have time for that. It is not on my mind,” elaborates Saleem.

On the work front, though he was seen in two web shows, Saleem’s last big release on the silver screen was 2018’s Race 3. The actor was trolled for his performance; however, he takes that in his stride. “I think with Race 3 I got lazy. I did nothing new. I went in with my notion of how commercial films are – I have to look cool. I never got really inside the character and played it superficially. It was important for me to be told that I wasn’t good at it. When I was trolled for the film, a lot of people said why he was in that film, what he was doing. It gave me a certain kind of clarity on what I should do now,” Saleem admits.

The actor doesn’t rue being trolled as long as it is strictly for work. “I want healthy criticism in life. How else will I learn? Sometimes, we actors approach every role in the same way. So, these things add fuel and push you to do better. Criticism is important, but not personal remark,” he ends.