Saqib Saleem: My friends and family give me a reality check

Actor Saqib Saleem has films such as Mere Dad Ki Maruti (2013) and Hawaa Hawaai (2014) to his credit, but gaining celebrity status has not really changed him as a person. However, the actor feels that he can’t say the same about people around him.

“Like everyone else, I used to have meals at my place, but now when I go back home, I have to go for luncheons and dinners at my neighbours’ and have to get pictures clicked with their children. Sometimes, I feel that you don’t change but people around you do, and create a different aura, which has happened in my case,” says Saqib.

The actor, who will soon be seen alongside actor Taapsee Pannu in his next film, does not mind the attention and love he gets when he comes back home in Delhi.

“As an actor, you love it when people come up and ask for pictures and tell you that they love your work. I don’t know about other actors, but I love that because that’s what we work for,” adds Saqib, brother of actor Huma Qureshi.

The 29-year-old actor adds he is happy that he has friends and family who do not let this fame and publicity get to his head. “They [my friends and family] all help me stay grounded. When I am with them, I don’t feel like a star, and if at all they sense that I have started developing an aura around me, they will give me a reality check and make me feel like a regular person,” Saqib concludes.