Urging viewers to sit up and take notice, Saqib Ayub has been marking an impression across films and series as a performer. Recently seen in the OTT show Love Adhura, Saqib shares about the opportunities he has landed having to work with some of Indian cinema’s celebrated filmmakers.

Speaking about the experience of playing the psychotic Prakash in Love Adhura, Saqib shares, “I had a lot of fun because I had to intimidate everybody. I didn’t really have to go out of my way to prepare for it because we’ve seen these kinds of characters in our movies and our literature. But the image of my character was conceived differently and I had to add more zest and sleaze to make it more interesting. That helped in giving me an edge.”

Did the actor’s inherent spontaneity help in bagging the role? “I would attribute a little bit to that as well. But first of all, I did not test for Prakash. Initially, they had written down Prakash as a character who’s well into his forties. I initially went to test for the character of Harsh (played by Chirag Khatri in the show). But, one of the ADs suggested that I test for Prakash. When our director saw the test, he and the entire team were sold on what they saw. And eventually, I think, that’s how it all fell into place.”

Saqib’s filmography includes She, Brahmastra and Farzi. Speaking about how each opportunity fell in his lap, the actor reveals, “I think a lot of people call it luck, but I think luck is nothing but being ready when the opportunity comes. At the right place at the right time. My initial experience of working on the sets of Thugs of Hindostan gave me ample opportunity to watch how Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub perform. I think I learned a lot from that film. That preparation helped me land Brahmastra. Despite a limited role, I knew what the opportunity presented for me. Which is why I did not negotiate anything and I jumped at the idea of doing the film. But, it made Ayan (Mukerji) say a lot of nice things about me to the casting directors. That translated into me getting She. Again, Imtiaz sir (Ali) saw my work and that opportunity further snowballed into me landing Farzi. Raj and Dk saw my work in She and they wanted me to test for Farzi. Although I had also tested for Firoz (played by Bhuvan Arora), I ended up being Anees. Which for me was a great deal considering how much I love Raj and Dk’s work. Farzi led me to shoot for a show with Karishma Kohli of The Fame Game. And eventually, I was asked to test for three characters in Reema Kagti’s Supermen of Malegaon. So, I love how one thing led to another.”

As we conclude our chat, the 28-year old actor maintains that he does not want to be stereotyped. “I hope that I don’t only get to play the gangster kind of roles. That is a conscious choice I’m working towards,” he signs off.