I Was Initially Very Scared Of Salman Khan: Actor Saqib Saleem On Shooting Race 3 With The Superstar

Actor Saqib Saleem says Race 3 came as a big career opportunity for him at a time when he needed it the most.

Saqib, best known for his work in "Mere Dad Ki Maruti" and "Hawaa Hawaai", said the film, starring Salman Khan, gave him a confidence boost as it came after the box office disappointment of his 2017 release "Dobaara: See your evil".

"Acting is a very insecure profession. One Friday can make or break you. My last Friday broke me. It can go to a point where you start doubting if you even know how to act," he told PTI.

"Sometimes you are being harsh on yourself, and sometimes massaging your own ego. And then the biggest franchise comes to you and you are like 'Whoa, people believe in you.
You were wrong!' It gives you great confidence," he said.

While he is awaiting the release of his next, "Dil Junglee", which features Taapsee Pannu opposite him, Saqib said he is putting his best foot forward for "Race3" as he wants it to be a better experience for him as an actor.

"This is the first time I am doing action, and I am super excited about it. Kicking, punching, shooting people, all of that is happening and it is great. I have never worked on a film of this magnitude and I feel very fortunate to be a part of it. There is a lot of responsibility on me and I know I shouldn't be taking this lightly," the actor said.

"I am making sure I get the action right. There is no pressure but a responsibility to do good. If they want to make 'Race 4', 'Race 5', I want to work in them too," he said.

Sharing screen space for the first time with Salman made Saqib a lot more aware about how people can get trapped in a wrong perception about the superstar, he said, adding that Salman was "one of the nicest human beings" on the sets.

The "Hawaa Hawaai" actor said working with Salman in the film was an "outstanding experience".

"I have never seen somebody so giving. We were shooting in the night and I was wearing a half-sleeve T-shirt. He saw me standing and brought me two leather jackets and asked me to choose the one I wanted," Saqib said.

"I was initially very scared of him. But when you meet him and hang out with him (you realise) he is a child! There is so much care and warmth that he gives to people around him. He is one of the nicest guys I have ever come across," he said.

Saqib's fim "Dil Junglee", written and directed by Aleya Sen, is scheduled to be released on March 9.