Saqib Saleem to play a rookie journalist in filmmaker Sudhir Mishra's series Crime Beat

Saqib Saleem, Huma Qureshi and Sudhir Mishra

Therapeutic is how Saqib Saleem describes his maiden collaboration with filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, on his latest series, Crime Beat. The actor, who plays a rookie crime journalist in the Zee5 show, says while he was intimidated by the maverick initially, he was in awe of Mishra's spirited nature by the end of the shoot. "Once you get to know him, you realise he is younger than you at heart. He has a great sense of humour and is an ideal director for actors because he empowers them. It was a therapeutic experience working with him. I feel I have come out as a better artiste. He was always trying to figure out how to best express his thoughts and story. That was inspiring. After so many years, only if you still have that desire and zeal, can your work stand out," he says.

Nurturing collaborations and meaty parts are what Saleem craves the most after completing 14 years in the industry across mediums. "I am hungry for parts that allow me to show my diversity. I don't have the luxury of choice. I have to make do with the opportunities I create for myself, then pick the best one out of the lot," says the actor, while acknowledging how OTT has helped him in his pursuit. He was previously seen in Kakuda (2024) and Citadel: Honey Bunny (2024).

Besides acting, production has been keeping Saleem on his toes. Co-founded by his actor-sister Huma Qureshi and filmmaker Mudassar Aziz, Elemen 3 Entertainment is currently developing a neo-noir crime comedy, Baby Do Die Do, starring Qureshi, Sikandar Kher and Chunky Panday. "That film is my baby. We are very excited about it and hopefully it will be out this year for everyone to see," expresses the actor. On being asked how it is to run a production house with Qureshi, he shares that they are more friends than siblings. "We consider each other equals. We don't operate from the ‘I know better' mindset. We can talk about anything under the sun. There's absolute comfort. Both of us operate from a space where we feel we have to make more of our lives."