Bollywood actor Saqib Saleem has spoken about playing SSP Samardeep in the show ‘Kaptaan’ and said that what stood out for him was that his character does not try to be hero. Opening up about what drew him to the role, Saqib said in a statement, “Honestly, the first thing that stood out to me was that Samardeep does not try to be a hero.
He isn’t chasing validation. He walks into a room, and the energy shifts.” “That kind of presence is rare to find on paper. Also, he speaks very little, which works great for me. In real life, too, I’d pick fewer lines and more attitude any day.” He added: “But on a serious note, what really stayed with me is that everything he does comes from a deeply personal place.
He is not fixing the system out of the goodness of his heart. He is doing it because something within him is fractured.” Saqib said that the emotional undercurrent made the character far more compelling to explore as an actor. Headlined by Saqib Saleem and Siddharth Nigam, Kaptaan also features Anjumm Shharma, Kavita Kaushik, Poojaa Gor, and Anushka Kaushik, among others.
Directed by Jatin Wagle, Kaptaan leans into a space where justice rarely plays out in black and white, but lives somewhere in between. It follows SSP Samardeep, an instinct-driven encounter specialist who operates on his own terms, shaped as much by his past as by the system he’s navigating.
Speaking about his camaraderie with Poojaa Gor, Saqib said: “Poojaa is an incredibly sorted actor and person, which, honestly, can be a little annoying because I’m neither. But she brings a certain calm to both the set and the scenes.” “Our characters share a layered, complicated relationship, and off-screen we spent a lot of time discussing what’s left unsaid, the subtext, the backstories.
Those conversations really added depth.” He shared that Poojaa also has a great sense of humour. “So in between intense scenes, we were mostly joking around and pulling each other’s legs. It helps keep things balanced; otherwise, a show like this can get quite heavy while shooting.” “Kaptaan” is now streaming on Amazon MX Player.