Saqib Saleem and Huma Qureshi, the real life brother-sister duo, have teamed up for the first time in Dobaara: See Your Evil. This horror movie that releases tomorrow, is directed by Prawaal Raman. The movie is a remake of American film Oculus and traces the journey of siblings who are haunted by their past. Saqib, who has tried this genre for the first time, is confident that the movie will connect with the viewers and redefine the way Bollywood has treated horror movies. In a telephonic conversation with InUth, Saqib spoke about the upcoming movie, the experience of working with sister Huma and what scared him the most in life.
Excerpts from the interview:
First of all, tell me how was the experience shooting for Dobaara?
It was a genre I did not try before. The entire thing of Huma and me working with each other made it wonderful. People feel during the shooting of a horror movie, the atmosphere on the sets is intense but we turned it into a fun activity. Huma and I had loads of fun during the shoot. Knowing your co-actor helps and Huma and I have grown up together, so that was an added bonus.
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What is the one thing you learned about Huma after working with her that you did not, since your childhood?
I think Huma is an alive actor and she listens to the co-actor, a quality that is not seen usually. That is the only thing that I learned about her. Other than that, we know everything about each other. We had seen each other’s movies but only the finished product. Now, after working together I got to know Huma-the actor better.
How difficult was it shooting for a horror movie since you did not try this before?
It was really difficult. I take the time to get into the skin of the character. I did not have the liberty of one-liners with the role Kabir. You know the kind where actors deliver a punch line and that defines their role. But with this character, this was not the case. He has gone through a lot in life. I took time, to understand this character. He is shrewd and he is a man of few words. In real life, I am nothing like that. I told myself to forget everything that you have done the in the past years. This character has been in juvenile prison so I visited a juvenile home in Delhi. I did not want to model my character around them but to understand how they lived in isolation. They have no idea about phone, wifi or TV. I locked myself for a day and I freaked out. I wanted to get the angst of Kabir right.
What are the similarities between Kabir and you?
I think the love which Kabir has for his sister. Though in real life Huma and I are more like buddies. Natasha and Kabir share a strained relationship. But the affection Kabir has for Natasha knows no bounds.
Are you scared of ghosts?
No. We have all heard stories as kids but I am a rational person. I would have to feel it myself to believe it. But that doesn’t mean I am not scared of anything. I am afraid of spiders, they give me an eerie feeling. As a kid when I used to watch Zee Horror Show and Aahat, I got scared. But later realised that all the makeup and sound was done to scare us. So, not anymore.
How confident are you about Dobaara?
I am pretty confident and a little nervous also. I want the audience to give us a lot of love. We wanted to make a good horror movie that is sans romance or bad music. We want to give people a chill experience. Also, when we make a horror movie these days, we shut out a family audience because of the sexual angle they bring. Bollywood has not explored the genre of horror a lot. We are still restricted to the old ways of bringing a priest in to shove the ghost away. So, I hope Dobara brings about that change.
Watch the trailer of Doobara here:
