Saqib Saleem: I’m sad that my parents can’t be with Huma and me for Eid this year

Eid is an occasion to be celebrated with family, but this time around, things will be different for actor Saqib Saleem and his sister, actor Huma Qureshi.

“The major part of the day goes into fasting. And Huma and me always plan it, that we don’t usually work during Ramzan. We try and avoid it if we can, whether it’s shoots or anything. We plan it in a way that we are home. Usually, our parents are here in Mumbai and we celebrate Eid together. This year, it can’t happen. I can’t be with my parents. It looks difficult,” says the 32-year-old.

While it has disheartened the duo, Saleem insists that the safety of everyone is above everything else. “These things make me sad, but it’s the only way we are going to overcome this. We keep telling ourselves that this is irritating, how taxing our lives have become, boring or whatever you call it. But I feel it’s extremely essential that we show character at this point, and bloody stay strong,” he adds.

Saleem, for the past one-and-a-half months, has kept himself occupied with something other than just watching shows and movies, as he believes “an idle mind is of no use”.

He tells us what all he has been up to. “These months have felt like a year, that’s the sentiment everybody has. I keep reading ‘March seemed like a year, when will April get over’. I did a few things to keep myself busy. Initially, I was thinking ‘what can I do sitting at home, I am an actor, how do I keep myself busy?’ But one needs to involve themselves, otherwise laziness can set in. I started watching new season of shows I had seen, and then started writing too. I had stopped, I used to write way back when I was in college,” reveals the actor, who has also reconnected with some friends with whom he had lost touch.