'My Success Comes From The Fact I Chose To Colour Outside The Line', Kubbra Sait

True to the meaning of her name, her journey and life choices have been filled with greatness. How else does one explain her journey which has been interspersed with eclectic choices ranging from corporate world to the world of glamour as an Emcee, Beauty Pageant participant and an actor. She has aced all of these – won India’ Best Female Emcee, adjudged Miss Personality in Miss India 2009 edition and rendered a fine performance as Kuckoo in Sacred Games. Deccan Chronicle recently spoke to versatile and talented Kubbra Sait on her recent visit to Hyderabad for ‘Table For Everyone’, one of its kind food event which brings together strangers and their food stories.

DC : Tell us about your association with ‘Table For Everyone’ by Black & White.

Kubbra : I believe it’s a really cool concept of people coming together. Most of the times you end up meeting the strangers. Post hors d’oeuvre whether you are introvert or extrovert it does not matter, you end up with four basic question - Hey What’s Up; What you doing; What next. So, I feel this event and this sort of get-together is a novel concept of going beyond those four questions and making an effort to get to know each other. And you know you have a feeling or inkling that you are going to meet the same people, it is going to be easy. But the beauty was that it was so much more fun because there were strangers in the room. And I feel when you meet and give people a real chance to express themselves and be themselves, then you open new possibilities for them to get to know each other. Food becomes an automatic relaxant.

DC : What are your favourite food stories? Which is your favourite cuisine/dish?

Kubbra : I have so many comfort foods. Earlier today, I was thinking about khichadi. In fact, I can eat khichadi 365 days a year for three meals a day and I will really eat it with same passion. But if I were coming to Hyderabad then how can I not eat the biriyani. It is Ramzan right now how can one not go to Charminar and eat the biscuits; How can one come to Hyderabad and not eat Haleem.

DC : Did you get an opportunity to sample haleem?

Kubbra : This trip not yet. But would I try to make it happen. Yes, I will try.

DC : I must say your journey has been fantastic - from a regular corporate job with Microsoft to world of glamour and acting. What prompted these career transitions?

Kubbra : I think I have been colouring out of the line. It is fun when you colour out of the line. You do not know what are you going to end up making. I wanted to do things out of my traditional conditioning living in Bangalore. So, I think one of the reasons, I was able to just go out there and do things, was not allowing the fear to hold me back. The other day, I was watching one of my favourite television shows ‘Somebody Feed Phil.’ Interestingly, it is about food again. I really love Philip Rosenthal. He said “Never let fear stop you from going.” So, I feel whether it is your life, whether it is your career, whether it is the person you choose to marry, whether it is a new art you want to learn. Go try. If it works – great! If it does not, you fail, learn your lesson and you will then try something else.

DC : How supportive was the family of your career choices and the powerful yet controversial portrayal of when the role of Kuckoo?

Kubbra : The interesting thing that you should know is that my mum was one of the most important decisions makers of my career while I had signed Sacred Games. She got that contract draft out. So, my family was always involved in it. But I do remember having a very interesting conversation with her. I told my mum that “Ma, you have been wearing a bullet proof jacket this entire time while you were raising a daughter and son and everything else while being a single parent. But this time you build a bunker because what is coming is a bazooka.” So, I think I had an inclination that this is going to be big but I did not know that I am going to become big with it.

DC : Let’s talk about another crime drama role that you have portrayed which comes from a pretty famous case which rocked Bombay in the 60’s. The role of Mamie Ahuja.

Kubbra : Very few people ask me about this role. Rarely does anyone ask me about this. I think that role for me was so much more challenging in the way she just goes through life. Apparently, she did go to Puttaparti Sai baba. She did meet him. She went into meditation and then she turned around and embraced the whole situation and signed on the documents that Kawas Nanavati could leave India and then take refuge in another different country and that is where the family lives now. So, then you realise that the hero is not the hero of the story, the villain is not the villain of the story. We are all just human elements. You also kind of recognise how big forgiveness is. We should just give each other a chance as people as human beings because it is impossible to carry resentment in your heart. One should not.

DC : Since we talked about this, have you also practiced any kind of meditation post this realisation?

Kubbra : No, I think you can’t be an actor if you don’t meditate. On set you really have to meditate because you rarely get a moment between action and cut right, before that some dada somewhere is screaming “silence”, someone is coming to do a touch up on your face. So, you’re never really alone. You need to create that space to be alone in your head, remember your lines. That part is tough. So, to make the tough easy, I think I enjoy meditating.

DC : After portraying intense roles like Kuckoo. When you switch off, how easy is to go back to your regular Kubra Sait self. How much time do you take?

Kubbra :  I’ll tell a terrible joke. I’ll put it on Instagram and I’m myself again.

DC :  Bangalore or Mumbai? Which one of the cities would be closer to you?

Kubbra : One is a town that I was born in and it was almost nature to me and Mumbai is a city that has nurtured me to become the person that I am. You can never have a debate between nature and nurture, can you?

DC : Last question, if you had to give one career advice that you would want to give youngsters today?

Kubbra : I have two pieces of advice. The first advice is, have patience. You cannot outdo gestation period. A child can be born in 9 months, 8 months won’t work,6 months won’t work, 11 months won’t work,12 months won’t work. 9 is 9. So be patient and give it the time it takes. The second piece of advice, to them is that there are no short cuts. You need to learn the process. Be kind. Be humble. Just go through the process. Learn what an art or craft or any job requires you to do. It’s really important.

DC : Thank you for your time Kubbra.