Kubbra Sait and the art of carpe diem

The actor on stereotypes, skills, finding love, climbing mountains and seeking an anchor in self-discovery.

30 October, 2026

Kubbra Sait has no interest in being a ‘good girl’. But like she promised on a recent Instagram post—a carousel of 15 photos of her dressed in a blush pink, georgette sari, with flowers in her hair—she can look like one because ‘that’s called good acting’.

The ‘good girl’ archetype is one that young girls around the world know about. From childhood, we are trained to be perfect in ways that please others, at the cost of our own needs, boundaries and often, even wellbeing. Within the Indian context, this deep-rooted conditioning also has cultural connotations with mythological standards that define an ideal woman. “Girls are taught to shrink their personalities to fit that model, and as long as you live under the radar, you’ll be a good girl. Marriage is considered the reward for your goodness, and motherhood the consummation of it,” the 43-year-old actor and author elaborates.

Sait was well into her 20s when she realised that living authentically was how she wanted to live. This hasn’t changed in the years since, as she’s moved cities (Bengaluru to Dubai and now Mumbai) and changed professions (marketing to entertainment). On an unseasonably hot October evening when we chatted online, she’s at the members-only section of Mumbai’s Soho House. Dressed in activewear, with not a lick of makeup, she is glowing—but she’s something more, something strong. Even with the publicity machinery around her, she is a unique presence.

A lot like love

Midway through our conversation, she wonders aloud: “Are we upgrading our lives as often as we upgrade the software on our laptops and phones?” Sait is a big advocate for doing the hard thing. That’s where, she believes, real growth comes from. “I know I am coming from a place of privilege, but we are all so busy surviving that we have no time to work on ourselves. This needs to become a common conversation across age groups, genders and socio-economic backgrounds.”

Despite the many projects she has on the go, Sait carves out a fortnight every year that’s just for her to push her boundaries physically and mentally. “In the larger scheme of things, a fortnight seems insignificant, but it really has changed my life. I do things that I’ve never done before and the learnings I come back with give me the fuel and calm that I need to survive the rest of the year.” She’s scaled Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) in Tanzania, rafted down the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and gone scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Last month, she spent a week in the Dolomites conquering Italy’s famous ‘iron roads’ (via ferrata). Created during World War 1, this is a network of cables and metal ladders across the otherwise impenetrable peaks and dizzying drops. “Even though I love all kinds of adventure activities, I had never heard of this.” What made this trip extra special was the company—Gautam Dhaliwal, a banker she met on the apps. “I joined dating apps after a two-year-long relationship ended. I recognise that the relationship ended not because I wasn't worth it but because things just didn't work out. And I would need to make an effort to meet that someone special.”

After months of figuratively kissing a lot of frogs, she found her prince. “Technically, I had known him for only two months when he invited me to join him. Not only did I climb a mountain with practically a stranger, but I came back having found love. He's introduced me to an activity that we can do together, which then gives us a foundation that we can look forward to building on. Isn’t that what hope is?” she asks rhetorically. Not one to accept anything less than the absolute best, there was something about the trip that continues to amaze Sait a month later. “He had gotten there a week before me and picked a couple of trails that he had already climbed to do again with me. He climbed the same mountain twice because he wanted me to see what he had seen. Who does that?!”

As a celebrity, Sait has always had an interesting approach when it comes to romance. She’s never been coy about a relationship but also never discussed one publicly at length. This time it’s different with Dhaliwal featuring in videos on both her Instagram and YouTube. “What is the point of love if you are going to be worried about ‘nazar’ or opinions? As a public figure, I can control how information about my life goes public. How it's received is not something that I can control or have any interest in,” she says, matter-of-factly.

The real face

Living authentically means living by your inner values rather than external approval or societal expectations. Sait learnt this the hard way when she was very young. “I was very badly bullied for over two years in elementary school.” This is when her parents enrolled her in personality development classes where she met a teacher who changed her life. “My formative belief system was completely rewritten and that changed everything. My teacher would ask me, 'why do you get upset when someone calls you names? Are you that name? And if you are not then why are you allowing that to affect you?’” That sense of non-judgment was sown so deep into her being that even years later, if she ever goes off track, Sait always finds her way back.

This fearlessness is also reflected in Sait’s work. “My first ever role was in Ready (2011), where I played a housemaid. Everyone I knew said, ‘If you do this, your career is over’. Today, people ask me if I was the one ‘who sat on that Hayabusa’. I couldn’t wait to be discovered. I had to go look for work and make the most of what came my way.” It was her outing as Kuku, Gaitonde’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) part-time transgender lover in Sacred Games (2018) that proved to be her launchpad into fame. “This was possibly the only time I told my mother that the role will get a lot of eyeballs and to be prepared for whatever people would say.”

In the years since, she’s played Phara, fierce and morally grey ‘Grand Huntress’ in the ambitious Apple TV+ sci-fi series Foundation (2021). She bagged the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actress – Drama for playing the earnest police officer SI Pallavi in Shehar Lakhot (2023). She stepped into a khaki uniform once again this year to play an intrepid cop in Prakash Jha’s Sankalp. She is currently back to playing Saira, a no-nonsense criminal handler in Raj & DK’s Farzi; the show’s second season just started shooting. She’s also preparing to shoot her first Kannada film that’s yet to be announced.

She is also preparing to add another skill to her repertoire—stand-up. The Bengaluru-native has been working with comic Devanshi Shah to learn how to write a joke and build a set. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’m hoping to start performing publicly by early next year. And by 2028, I would have performed enough to shoot a special.” The duo is currently also building a live game show called The Open Book. As she’s excitedly telling me about these plans, I can’t help but be impressed with her commitment to constantly keep evolving. “Doing the hard stuff makes you feel alive and keeps you on your toes. While stagnation makes you feel irrelevant, like the world has left you behind,” she reiterates, adding, “be like water; move.”

Editor: Snigdha Ahuja (@snigdha.ahuja)
Interview: Karishma Upadhyay (@karishmaupadhyay)
Photographer: Sushant Chhabria (@sushantchhabria)
Stylist: Zoha Castelino (@zohacastelino)
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Make-up Artist: Arleen Gonsalves (@arleen_gonsalves)
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Assistant Stylist: Aayushi Vaidya (@runwayrecess)
Artist PR Agency: Idhyah Media (@idhyahmedia)