How Delhi boy in Saqib Saleem helped ‘Crime Beat’ to tell the story authentically?

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Saqib Saleem, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming streaming show ‘Crime Beat’, found himself being washed over by waves of nostalgia as he visited his native, the national capital during the shooting of the show.

The series, which is rooted in realism on paper, perhaps even gained from Saqib’s deep familiarity with the city’s streets, flavours, and hidden corners. Having spent his life in Delhi, he instinctively knew how the city breathes, and he channeled that lived-in essence into his performance.

Talking about the same, the actor said, “Delhi is in my blood. Every street, every alley has a memory attached to it. When we were shooting in some of these locations, it was a homecoming. I could feel the pulse of the city in every frame”.

His input went beyond just performance. He collaborated closely with the director Sudhir Mishra to ensure the world of ‘Crime Beat’ felt as immersive as possible. From suggesting specific local eateries for shoot locations to tweaking dialogue delivery to match the natural rhythm of a Delhiite, his personal connection with the city seeped into the show’s fabric.

He further mentioned, “There are certain things about Delhi that only someone who has lived here would know. The way people interact, the street rules, the shift in dialect depending on which part of the city you’re in. I wanted to bring that nuance into my role. This was about making him feel like a real Delhi journalist”.

“The show already had a strong foundation, but I wanted to amp up that rawness, that lived-in energy. Delhi is a character in itself, and I was lucky to bring my version of it to the screen”, he added.