Ali Fazal revealed his Arab look in Furious 7. He tells Divya Kaushik why he has never shied away from cameos and how he is making most of the changing times in Bollywood
From his cameo in 3 Idiots to now a cameo in a popular Hollywood franchise, Furious 7, Ali Fazal has surely come a long way. In between, we have seen many shades of him as an actor, be it in a comedy film likeFukrey or in a drama like Bobby Jasoos. The actor, who released the first glimpse of his Arab character in the superhit film franchise, says that though he has just three scenes in the film, shooting with actors like Vin Diesel and Paul Walker was an experience of a lifetime.
“It is exciting to be part of something so big. The franchise has been a favourite with all of us and featuring in it is a big thing. I play a convener of the deal the film is centered around and it is a short part but whatever I have shot, it was with the entire cast. I was little intimidated when we first began to shoot but everyone around me was so good and focussed that in very less time I was able to concentrate on my character.
I had to speak a different language, work on my accent and body language to suit the character. Being a part of that process of making a big film like this was a great learning experience. When I was offered the role I didn’t go by the length it, I found it interesting and it is integral to the story,” he said.
The actor feels that while our films have great content, Hollywood films have an edge when it comes to planning and technology. “For films like Furious 7, they have the best technology. I also learnt that pre-production and post-production, the most important stages of film-making, require a huge scale planning. I almost saw the entire film even before we started to shoot. I was shown the graphic version of the film to get the better idea of the process,” shared the actor.
Ali is not someone who would follow the tried and tested to sustain in the industry. He believes in taking risks and pushing the envelope further with every role that he does. “I have never let the audience relate me to any particular kind of films. In every film that I have done so far, the character is a step away from the previous one.
I don’t mind featuring in multi-starrers as there is a challenge to stand out with your performance in such films and thankfully, I have managed to do that in films like 3 Idiots and Fukrey. Then I did Bobby Jasoos and Khamoshiyan, films that gave me an opportunity to try something different in front of the camera. There is no method that I am following, but I am only trying to choose variety,” he said.
Next, he will be featuring inlove Affair, directed by Soni Razdan and Ali is looking forward to something “as bold and challenging” as love Affair. “I want to try everything that interests me. I would love to do a comedy film but people think that I am a very serious actor.
I want to break such perceptions with choices that I will make in future. Times have changed and all the young actors are being offered an interesting variety, it is up to us if we want to stick to stereotypes or accept challenges,” he ended.