Making Baby Do Die Do was only half the battle for actor-turned-producer Saqib Saleem. Paving the thriller’s road to release, without a studio backing its campaign or distribution, has been an education for the new producer. “Producing a film and trying to bring it to theatres is a humbling experience. In today’s cluttered market, trying to find a place for a film that is not studio-led has been a completely different experience,” began Saleem.

Baby Do Die Do stars his sister and actor Huma Qureshi in the lead role, and marks the duo’s first co-production under their new banner Saleem Siblings. Their previous productions, including Double XL (2022), were studio-backed and taught Saleem the mechanics of filmmaking. What frustrated him was what happened after the movie was complete. “When it came to putting it out for release, I felt my film was not treated properly or didn’t get the showcasing it should have. If I did it independently, I’d be able to pull in more muscle because when other people are involved, you don’t have full control over how your film is positioned,” he recalled.