In some films, style overrides content. The Race franchise is one of them. As the third instalment of the thriller releases this week, actors Bobby Deol and Saqib Saleem were in the city to talk about the film and unveil the Race 3 collection of Blackberrys.
“It has been one of my best experiences,” said an elated Saqib who will be seen in the company of seniors actors like Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol. “There was a point while shooting the climax of the film, when I looked towards my right there was Mr. India , on my left there was Prem Bhai and when I looked straight there was Soldier in front of me. As I am an ordinary Delhi guy, to be among these stalwarts, was a huge thing for me,” gushed Saqib who has worked on his physique for the film. Bobby said he loved travelling and the film took him to scenic locations like Ladakh, Jaisalmer and Abu Dhabi. “ Gupt was also shot in Jaisalmer and after years I was shooting on the same sand dunes. It was not just about nostalgia, the team was also great. We had good fun.”
On their sartorial choices, Saqib said it’s important to have an individual style statement. “Your individuality should stand out. In my case, clothes are a form of expression. I love how Ranveer (Singh) dresses up. That’s how he expresses himself and I believe that whatever he wears only he can carry it off. I enjoy clothes. In fact, during winters in Delhi, I used to love wearing jackets and mufflers, which I miss in Mumbai.” Bobby chipped in with his piece of advice, “Just wear what you feel comfortable in. Something as simple as a white plain shirt would look good as long as you are comfortable.”
These days some actors style themselves even for airport appearances because of paparazzi. “I dress up for myself. It doesn’t matter to me whether someone is taking my pictures or not. I try to be well-turned out because I like it, said Saqib. Bobby said for him comfort was the most important criterion. “I think social media has made it almost compulsory to be dressed up all the time. I just wear what I feel comfortable in.”
Bobby said the film was important for him as he was looking for a good script for a long time. For Saqib, it was an opportunity to try his hand at action, a genre that he had not tried before.
Saqib got nostalgic about his home town and said that he missed chhole bhature of Delhi a lot. “It has been two-and a half years now that I had chhole bhature, and I would really like to have them. For almost a decade in my life, I had had chhole bhature in breakfast every second day. I love them to some other level.” We left Saqib with his delicious memories.
