An anchor and actor best-known for her breakout performance in Sacred Games, Kubbra Sait turned 39 today, right after the release of her memoir, Open Book.

While her performance as Kukoo in the show remains her most popular one, Sait also won praise for her work in 2021’s RK/RKAY and Foundation, while most-recently appearing in April’s Murder in Agonda.

We dropped in for a quick chat with Sait about birthdays, her experiences with writing a book, and everything in between.

What do you have planned for your birthday, and do you have any rituals or favourite things to do on your special day?

I launch Open Book. I’ll be excited to sign the copies for those who buy it. I also plan to have a few drinks and dance a little. I have a feeling I’ll be spending it with a smile on my face.

How much has your experience of birthdays changed across the years? Do you prefer different things now compared to say, ten years ago?

100% different, I don’t like cakes. Although I still love presents and balloons. I find WhatsApp and social media a bit tiring, but it’s so lovely… it’s a day where I am reminded how much love I have pouring in from everywhere. Ten years ago… I think I would’ve loved to be working on a job but I would’ve still loved the attention, birthdays are fun.

At what point did you realise that you need to write Open Book? Can you help us visualise that moment?

“I was lying in bed, it was just another slow-paced day during the pandemic. I had nowhere to go and the household chores were done. I reached out to a number that I had got from a friend. I was looking for a ghostwriter for a friend. The friendly voice on the other line, casually asked me, “Why don’t you write a book?”

My reaction was to laugh, followed by a “What?” “Yes! You write autobiographical pieces for Kommune… the publishing world will be happy to welcome you.” I stuttered and stammered and smiled sheepishly. Then I bit the bullet, I wrote the prologue and boom! Little did I know I would end up writing about that very moment for an interview for Man’s World.

Can you walk us through your writing process?

I took the whole process as a big fun game, and in my stride. Being a first-time author, I didn’t feel any traditional work/ creativity pressure. Words flowed from a deeply personal and honest place.

I felt a sense of catharsis whilst writing Open Book. There were a few chapters which were harder than others. I wasn’t only telling stories I was being responsible for how the world around me is perceived, so certain chapters required more empathy than the rest, if I could say so… without sounding biased to the book as a whole.

You spent a certain portion of time working in Dubai with Microsoft. What was that phase of your life like, and what state of mind were you before making the jump into entertainment?

My life was too painstakingly robotic. I like expressing. It feels liberating. I missed that thrill working in various corporate jobs, including Microsoft… but, hey! I learned how to write kickass emails.

So yes! I was bored to death and then I rose from the ashes. I also saved money to survive 6 months in Mumbai. I was pretty certain I didn’t want to compromise on my food, clothes and where I would live. I just had a sense of what I wanted to do; I wasn’t attached to the results. It was a calculated risk, and an adventure. I can confidently report… I’m still having a lot of fun.

As an industry outsider, what’s are your thoughts on nepotism? Do you think it’s got better with time, or worse?

As an outsider, I am happy to have tapped into the opportunities available for all outsiders. Where I didn’t find opportunities, I created them. I kept my head down and worked my ass off. On other days, I just took off for holidays and reset my operating system.

I don’t believe we charmed and danced around the word nepotism until a few years ago. I feel every industry has favouritism. One can always prove their presence by consistently working on their craft. I let them do their thing, while I focus on my story and career.

It’s been a pretty eventful year for you. What are your hopes for the year ahead?

I am going to live in the moment and a wish would be to be in love with another human (I haven’t been in a relationship for a while).

Sait will appear next in the neo-noir thriller Shehar Lakot, set to release later in 2022.

(Featured Image Credits: Kubbra Sait)