JOIN USAli Fazal is not a newbie in the industry. He has made his presence felt in both Bollywood and international films.
But there are only a few who know him for his theatrical abilities. He was recently in the city for an event, ‘The Writer Bloc’, where he performed in ‘Crab’, a 90-minute play revolving around entangled relationships between four people.
In a chat with Anila Kurian, he turns candid about his work in Bollywood and of his upcoming projects.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
We just wrapped up ‘Fukrey 2’. I’m also doing an international project in which I am playing Abdul Karim, Queen Victoria’s alleged lover. It’s one of the biggest secrets of the British royal family.
How do you select your scripts?
For the longest time, I didn’t have that decision-making ability. But I did say no when I didn’t find the content interesting. There were a few projects which I took up just as an experiment and these worked with the audience, like my character in ‘Bobby Jasoos’. Having said that, there is a lot more than content that goes in while selecting a script. You have to think about who is acting in it, the production house and more.
Any regrets about giving up a script?
I don’t regret giving up anything but there are some movies that I regret doing.
At the time, I thought it was a good decision but looking at it from where I am now, it wasn’t the best decision I made.
A recent movie that you didn’t like.
I love Farhan Akhtar but I didn’t like ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. It felt like a movie about the training and the physique and not much about Milkha Singh. I thought ‘Mary Kom’ was much better executed.
What’s the best part of being a celebrity?
People smile back at me more often. I used to do that before I became an actor and people thought I was being creepy. I think being a celebrity breaks that barrier.
And the worst?
It becomes intrusive. You don’t get any privacy and even if you are not up to meeting people, you have to put a smile on your face. If you don’t, the people you meet go back with a bad impression and it’s not fair for me to do that to them.
How different is Bollywood from Hollywood?
At the end of the day, I think people in the film industry approach emotion in the same way. Underneath all the technology, money, production houses and awards, cinema has to make a connection with the audience. We do have some good stories but mostly, the bad ones get the limelight. However, things are changing. We are also far behind on technology but that’s because we started late. I think we deserve a pat on our back for reaching where we are now.