Actor Ali Fazal is known for his intense characters that range from Guddu Pandit of Mirzapur to Abdul in Victoria & Abdul (2017). But there was a time when his skills couldn’t shine through. At the recent Jashn-e-Rekhta festival in Delhi, Fazal spoke about that time.
Recalling his initial years, the 38-year-old narrated how screenwriter-director Saeed Akhtar Mirza had picked him for his first film. “But it was never released,” said Fazal, adding, “Meri pehli film maine khud nahin dekhi. It might be somewhere in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) [archives] still... Then came Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011), produced by [actor] Shah Rukh Khan. Perfect platform! But woh bhi thhap ho gayi. That’s when I hit rock bottom. Tab se mera darr nikal gaya, because you can only go up from that point.”
When in Bollywood, educational degrees often take a back seat. But, Fazal denied the popular notion, saying, “Bollywood thoda badnaam ho gaya hai. We are normal working-class citizens and our subject (acting) is very complex. It is the study of every subject there is in the world... While working on the film Victoria & Abdul, I used to read almost 11 history books. Itna shayad school mein bhi nahin padha hoga!”
When asked about the decreased influence of the Urdu language in Bollywood, over the years, he said: “Westernisation aagaya hai aur humari societies modern ho gayi hain. [So] Humari kahaniyan, and generations are imbibing that culture. Most regular conversations are in half English or half Urdu, and that is okay. I’m not the judge of that! But, whatever knowledge we have, we should hold onto that tightly; be it music or any language. When that doesn’t happen, we start leaning on languages or stories that are convenient.”
Akshita Prakash writes on fashion, health, food and lifestyle for Daily Entertainment and Lifestyle supplement, HT City.
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