Saqib Saleem's latest screen turn is as KD, a character with more than 50 shades of grey and yet tinged with a certain vulnerability, in Citadel: Honey Bunny. The spy series, a part of the Citadel franchise created by Avengers men the Russo Brothers, the Indian version, on Prime Video, is directed by Raj & DK and is frontlined by Varun Dhawan and Samantha. A t2 chat with Saqib on Citadel and more.

What was it like collaborating with creator-director duo Raj & DK in Citadel: Honey Bunny?

It is very enjoyable to work with them. They are very collaborative and meticulous with their planning of how they want certain things. They have their own trademark that they bring to their scripts. There is a bit of quirk that they keep working with.

As an actor, my takeaway after having worked with them is that their script may be an ever-evolving process, but they are otherwise very well organised. They plan everything and yet there is a madness to what they do. There is always space left for the actors to bring in what they want. I got a great space to play a part like this. I had never played a negative role before this. I got a chance to speak to them about a lot of things while my character was being developed. When the material came to me, I saw traces of the discussions we had had. So it just gives you a sense that there are people doing such quality work and yet they are so collaborative.

It was a very chilled-out set. Everybody was very easy to work with and we all wanted to just do our best. There were days that I was in awe of working with Kay Kay Menon because he brings so much depth into every word spoken. When he says a word, he says it so differently, there is so much more meaning.

There were days which were like masterclasses. There were also days which were a lot of fun which were action (shoot) days but also very tiring because if you see how the action of the show is designed, it is primarily shown as one long shot. Of course, we had stitches in the middle but they were still very long takes. Just to do them repeatedly was very taxing.

Overall, I had a great time. I had worked with Varun before in Dishoom, he is a friend. I met Samantha for the first time on this show. She is lovely, always on the ball and fun to be with.

Raj & DK are very easy directors. It didn't feel like: 'Oh, it is a big international show, there are so many people involved'. We were just going out there and having fun.

Citadel apart, which is your favourite Raj & DK project?

I love The Family Man. I am a huge fan of 99, their debut film. I enjoyed Shor in the City and Go Goa Gone.

Coming back to Citadel, KD is a man of few words. He may be a negative character but he also shows vulnerability. He is an orphan working for a man who gave him a roof over his head and food to eat. What was your reading of him?

When this part was offered to me and whatever my understanding of the material was, I told myself that I won't play this guy as a villain. He is the hero of his own story, he has reasons for what he is doing. He operates in the grey, but he has a heart somewhere. I tried to bring humaneness to the character.

He is doing this because he wants the love of his (foster) father, Baba (played by Kay Kay Menon). Here is a guy (Bunny, played by Varun Dhawan) who broke up the 'family', so KD goes after him in order to break up Bunny's family.

He basically operates from a place of extreme loyalty...

Yes, right. It is these traits that make KD humane.

I absolutely loved the 'good cop-bad cop' scene between you and Kay Kay. It was a perfect mix of sinister and humour....

It was a lot of fun to do that scene. When I first read that scene, I realised that I perhaps had two lines in the whole scene. This scene is mostly about Baba emotionally playing me. I was like: 'Let me just engage with him and see where he takes it'. But while doing the scene, I was slightly in awe of Kay Kay sir and luckily, that is also the dynamic between KD and Baba, and that helped the scene.

I really enjoy watching him as an actor. Every time he does a take, he tries to do something different. But he makes it feel very organic... there are very few actors who can do that.

As KD, you had to emote largely through your eyes, gestures and body language. That must have been tough...

I remember reading the part and thinking: 'He doesn't have lines, dude!' I realised that KD not having too many dialogues was an intentional move. I felt that if he had more lines, his mystique and intensity would somehow get diluted.

I knew that KD's eyes needed to talk. That was a challenge but I also enjoyed that. As actors, dialogues are crutches for us to communicate a lot of things. But when you don't have lines but still have to communicate, that is when the skill set is pushed. I had a great time doing that.

What kind of acting gigs are you looking at at this point in time?

The potential impact of my part and the people I am working with. Also, as a viewer, will I want to watch a project like this....

It has been a good couple of years for you...

I am really trying to push the envelope and I appreciate you noticing it. The intent is to do a lot of varied work, whether it is Rangbaaz or 83. I did a horror comedy called Kakuda a few months ago. The intent is to show my range as an actor and keep trying to do different kinds of work. I hate being slotted. There has been a conscious effort to do different kinds of roles.

Is there a plan for you and your sister (Huma Qureshi) to act in a film together? It has been seven years since Dobaara, the only film you did together...

We are producing content together. We are looking for a good script to be actors together in. To have two impactful parts in the same script is a bit of a find right now. But we are at it.

I don't look at films as projects. I don't want to say: 'We want to do a film together, so let's find a script for that'. Rather, a script should come to us and we should be able to say: 'Why don't we do this together?' A script should dictate that and not the other way around. We are reading material every day, so I am hoping we find something.

Is there anything you watched of late which could be termed as an impactful watch?

I liked Slow Horses on Apple TV+. It was a little slow but I like slow-burn drama and that is also the name of the show, right? I also just finished watching all three seasons of The Bear. It is beautifully shot and I also have a food connection, right? (Saqib and Huma's family owns the popular Delhi eatery chain called Saleem's). In many ways, I felt very close to the show while watching it.