Saagar Shaikh praises Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Deli Boys' actor opened up to designer HSY

Designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY), who recently marked his Hollywood debut in the comedy series Deli Boys, interviewed the show's lead Saagar Shaikh on Instagram. He kicked off the session by asking Saagar about his experience working with Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy on the MCU show Ms Marvel.

"She's so great. I didn't get to work with her as much as I would've liked to because she directed episodes 4 and 5 and all the reshoots. I was there in 4 and 5, but I was only there for the reshoots for six weeks," Saagar said. "She's so precise and calculated and knows exactly what she wants from a shot. And she's just a powerhouse within one person. She's amazing to work with."

As for how he would define his character in Deli Boys, the 38-year-old actor said that Raj Dar is the exact opposite of his Ms Marvel character Aamir, who is a devout Muslim. "It's very, very different. My character [in Deli Boys] is a wild card. He's an older brother, but he's also a lazy guy who grew up rich and is okay just getting allowance for the rest of his life."

During the interview, Saagar also shared his insights on craft and culture, and the impact of AI on art. "I think craft and culture go hand in hand," he said. "AI has no real culture; it's taking humanity out of art, and craft is all about humanity. Sometimes, you have an idea and while you're in the moment creating that idea, it allows you to implement other ideas. AI will never do that. It's just a robot. You tell it a command and it follows. It's not going to add humanity to the product."

At the end of the interview, the American actor had a message for his fans in Pakistan. "I love you guys. I'm excited to visit Pakistan whenever I can. I hope to be there soon," he said.

Also in conversation

HSY's interview with Saagar comes after another brief conversation with Poorna Jagannathan, who began by defining the drama series The Night Of as her most seminal body of work. "The story was amazing. When we shot it, Trump wasn't in power. But when it came out four years later, Trump was in power, there was a Muslim ban, and Islamophobia was rampant," she said.

"The cultural impact in the conversation that The Night Of started shifted the way that I viewed myself as an actor. I've always tried to pursue works that reverberate the way The Night Of has." She concluded her answer with a joke, "Which is why I'm in a cocaine drama now."

Moving on to career influences, Poorna cited Nicole Kidman as an actor she draws inspiration from. "She's a method actor, and in Big Little Lies, she embodied the role. She mentioned two roles that she couldn't leave behind - Big Little Lies and Virginia Woolf adaptation The Hours. Whether she was on set or at home, she carried those characters everywhere. So working with her, watching her, and seeing her process influenced me as an actor. I went on to another set and I was a very different actor there because of her."

Poorna, who has dabbled in both drama and comedy, mentioned that she doesn't look for comfort when it comes to her acting roles. "It's not so much my comfort level, it's what I take home. For comedy, I don't take anything home. But for drama, I do," she said. "I have a family, so it's been very important to strike a balance between life and work. I feel like comedy just helps me balance it out better. I don't take any of it home."