Actor ALI FAZAL talks to Ayushi Sharma about how the twain may not ever meet and he is beyond the hype
Not many actors from Bollywood have been Hollywood success stories. But we keep at it. One among them is Fukrey actor Ali Fazal, who hasn’t only made a mark in Bollywood but has also attempted crossovers more than once.
Talking about how different both the industries function in terms of work as well as budgets, Ali highlighted a few points, striking a huge contrast between both. “While comparing both the industries, you also have to understand the economics and their work dynamism. A small budget film for Hollywood is a big budget film for Bollywood,” he said.
Apart from making a cameo in Fast & Furious 7, Ali was seen in 2017’s Victoria & Abdul, which was based on Shrabani Basu’s eponymously-named book. He cited an example of the film’s budget, saying that it was “considered a medium budget film as it was made in 20 million dollars but that amount here in India is way hefty. The film made a profit of over 90 million dollars worldwide. It was a huge success as per the Indian currency.”
So why are actors wanting to shift to Hollywood these days? He felt, “Apart from Priyanka Chopra, there isn’t much hype over the issue, I believe. Hollywood is undoubtedly at least 15 years ahead of India, technologically, and that is the reason why people prefer working there.”
Working with a veteran actress like Dame Judith Olivia Dench (Judi Dench) in the role of Queen Victoria, was absolutely a “feast” for Ali. He said that it was “legendary” working with her and that “it couldn’t have got any better. This is what feels like when dreams come true as she was one of the actresses on my check list. And this movie is directed by my favourite filmmaker so my biggest honour was also to work with the iconic Stephen Frears.”
He learnt while working with the actress that “there’s no replacement for hard work or for practice as Judi is an ardent believer of it.” Sharing experiences from the film, he added, “We had lines to practise and I even had to teach her Urdu throughout the film. I have learnt so much from her because she used to say keep practising usually all the time.”
Ali shared that the film was better than the book. Said he, “Definitely the film was better for me. The book is no doubt informational, so if you want information on that particular chapter, read that book but if you want to enjoy the story and know what happened between them, then you must watch the film.”
“Honestly I told everybody that I had read the book but actually I had not. I started reading it but then I thought it was taking me away from the film because the script was very interestingly written. I didn’t want to spoil the experience.When I read it later, I realised it was worlds apart. It could have been a very long and devastatingly heartbreaking film, it still was in many ways, but I think Stephen Frears made a little lighter fit and showed us romance and love in its true form with a bit of fantasy involved,” Ali added.
It was by chance that Ali got his first break in Fast and Furious 7.
“I did a cameo that was my first big stint in Hollywood and surprisingly it worked out,” said he.
Ali Fazal, who hails from Lucknow, is currently working on Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Milan Talkies and recently completed the shooting for the film in the city. “It feels weird to be shooting in Lucknow. I’ve lived here and known these gallis and mohallas (streets and colonies) all my life. I had never thought I’ll be shooting here,” he added.
The next in line for Ali is also Deva Katta’s Prasthanam, opposite Amyra Dastur, which is a Hindi remake of the Telugu political thriller. The film will also mark the return of Sanjay Dutt to Bollywood in the capacity of a producer. His last production venture was 2011 film Rascals.
“Sanjay Dutt is playing the role of my father. It’s set in a political backdrop and is a family drama at the same time. It showcases a conflicted story between a father and his son. There are a lot of layers to the film as it’s a remake and people know the story. But Deva is also planning a few changes in the script as he wants the film to cater to the pan-Indian audience this time,” Ali added.