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Saqib Saleem on Turning Producer Alongside Huma Qureshi and Why Bollywood's 'Volatile' Market Doesn't Scare Him
The brother-sister duo made their production debut with the 2022 drama 'Double XL' and will now back the neo-noir comedy 'Baby Do Die Do'.
Actor Saqib Saleem comes from a family of restaurateurs in Delhi, but for over a decade, he has been in Mumbai, acting in films. "The last film my father saw in theatres before I made my debut in 2011 with Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, was Mughal-E-Azam (1960)," Saleem tells The Hollywood Reporter India. Imagine then, what a shift it would have been, when Saleem — along with his actor-sister Huma Qureshi — decided to do something even more daring (and alienating): starting a production house.
"We didn't know anything when we came to the industry," Saleem says as he opens up about the initial phase of his career when Qureshi and him were both finding their footing. "But this is all we knew, so why not take it to the next level and produce films?"
The brother-sister duo made their production debut with the 2022 drama Double XL, which starred Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha. They are now backing the neo-noir comedy Baby Do Die Do, which also stars Qureshi, Chunky Pandey, and Sikandar Kher under their banner Elemen3 Entertainment. Their third production is also being discussed.
"Huma and I have a certain sensibility, and we like similar films. I thought we had reached a level where we could create an ecosystem, give space to unique voices and make interesting films. That's how Double XL came about," Saleem said.
After the film released, the actor said the duo got "confidence" to follow their vision, having learned closely what goes towards mounting a movie.
"Every day, we contemplate whether we have made the right decision. Now we are almost three films down and it feels like a good decision. It has also brought us closer to the movie-making exercise. Because as actors, we see it from a different lens, we don't look at it holistically."
The actor said he refuses to "couch-produce" films as he is not interested in simply putting his name on it and "earning profits". But their move to produce films comes at a time when the industry has been abuzz with conversations about the lull in the market, and how it has been generally a bad time for movies as non-tentpole films have majorly tanked at the box-office.
"But times like these also create a space for opportunities for people to break out and tell that unique story," Saleem said reflecting on the current Bollywood crisis.
"Of course, times are tough, and markets are volatile, but this is all that we know. We as an industry can't stop making films, and we need to find a way to make good films that reach out to people. That's the intent we are working with. It doesn't mean that we need to make only commercial potboilers."
"The industry needs to back original ideas, which the audience will be compelled to watch on the big screen, like a 12th Fail (2023) and Srikanth (2024), which exist alongside Chhaava (2025). So, there is space, provided you have a unique film that gets people excited. We have good films lined up and are very excited as a company. Hopefully, we can make a difference. It is important to have a clutter-breaking film every four to five years, which takes the industry forward," he said.
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This, Saleem said, has become one of his immediate goals; to not only ensure that a film is made on the right budget but also to ensure that it reaches the audience, which now rarely steps out to watch films that they feel could also be viewed on streaming platforms.
"During our first production, my worry was if I could get a good story on paper and get it made at the right price. I knew if I could package this on the right budget and make an interesting film, there is an audience waiting. We have to give them films that tempt them to step out because now when you show them a trailer, they already know the film is going to come to an OTT platform after two months. So how do you beat that and tempt them to still give your film that chance? They need to sniff that confidence," he concludes.