Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 10, 2020)

For Saqib Saleem, 2019 was a rather busy year. He had been shooting for Kabir Khan’s ’83, where he portrayed the character of former Indian cricketer, Mohinder Amarnath. And so, he decided to take a trip to Amsterdam to “clear his mind” and start 2019 on a fresh note. “I had my friends taking a trip to Europe. But, as I was shooting till December 30, I decided to travel on January 1 and begin the year with a bang. I was in Amsterdam for five days and it was an amazing trip. I really needed this break,” he says.

The Race 3 (2018) actor adds, “Travelling makes me happy. It was important for me to go out there and have some fun. I worked throughout last year and I needed some time off. I have never been to Amsterdam, or Europe for that matter. It helped me start focussing on what I wanted to do next.”

So, what did he do while in the Dutch capital? “While in Amsterdam, I did the usual touristy things. I went to the Rembrandt Square, Dam Square, Van Gogh Museum and Moco Musuem. I used to wake up in the morning, get out of the house, pick up some coffee and keep walking with my jackets, mufflers and cap. It was very cold there,” the 31-year-old shares.

For Saqib, it’s important to take breaks to detach from a character and switch to a new one. He explains, “Once you travel, it opens up your mind as you meet different people and get to know about different cultures and settings in the world. It’s important to take breaks and travel between your work. Once your mind opens up, you can look at characters with a different perspective.”

The young actor explains that ’83 was a rather emotional exercise. “Every character that I play does something to me. When I played Jimmy Amarnath, it made me calmer as a human being because Jimmy sir is very calm. If one had to get him right, they had to inculcate a Zen like attitude and bring forth a sense of resilience. It was difficult to play a character who’s so calm because I’m normally very hyper. I had to start meditation just to calm myself down,” the Bombay Talkies (2013) actor says.