Actor Ali Fazal talks about his new film, Forget Me Not, part of the Ray anthology, and how his exposure to Hollywood changed his perspective about acting. Excerpts from an interview with Lachmi Deb Roy:
Preparation for the ‘Ray’ world
These are short stories written by Satyajit Ray and the characters have evolved, keeping pace with the modern world. I always prepare by following the script and I kept in mind director Srijit Mukherji’s vision. But the real preparation happened when I met my co-actors. Relationships are important in the dynamics of the story; I had to make sure those are sorted, instead of me doing my own bit.
Exposure to Satyajit Ray’s work
I got introduced to Ray’s films very late. I watched Pather Panchali three-four times; each time it was a different experience. Shatranj ke Khilari is also a favourite. I am fond of his short film Two. It holds a mirror to our entire society and it is timeless. Ray’s movies reach out to everybody; everyone understands the narrative.
Favourite scene
One of my favourite scenes is a small one, which probably nobody will notice—I am in my house and looking at my awards, and Shruti Menon, who plays my wife, comes in and just rests her head on my shoulders. I felt the scene had such unsaid thoughts in it.
Relating to the competitive character of Ipsit Nair
Ipsit’s love for maths is one thing that is common with me in real life. I love numbers and am bit of a time freak like him. Ipsit is power hungry and we all are power hungry in some way or the other.
Working with director Srijit Mukherji
He has a very interesting way of working—he casts you and then expects you to do the work. Srijit gives you the freedom to do it your way. I like that. I find it extremely annoying when directors try to control each and every move of your acting. So working with him was a breath of fresh air.
Functional differences between Hollywood and Bollywood
I think it’s all going to merge soon. But we are lagging behind and that’s natural because cinema in different parts of the world started way before us. Of course, we have dug our own graves in some way, but we are back on track. I think cinema in the late ’80s and ’90s had really gone down if we compare it to the golden period of Indian cinema—when directors like Ray and Guru Dutt made films. Then came ‘parallel’ cinema, which was actually our main cinema. Al Pacino took a cue from Naseeruddin Shah’s Sparsh to play Lt Col Frank Slade, a blind veteran in Scent of a Woman. But then we got stuck in stardom and hero worship.
Not aspiring to be a star
If I go back a few years, when I did Fukrey, I thought differently. I wanted to be a star and wanted a box office hit in Bollywood. Then, suddenly, I got a small Hollywood role and then a lead role. Working in Hollywood, I got an idea that I was chasing the wrong tunnel. “My world will prosper and yours can too and it’s fine”—that’s what I learnt from Hollywood. In the past, I used to think that I needed to overtake somebody to become number one. I think that is not required. All of us can prosper and all of us can be global stars. I think initially we were fed the wrong notion, when I was starting my career in the entertainment industry. I was naïve too. Working in international movies helped me realise that I shouldn’t get bogged down by the stardom dream.
On hope
Sometimes, you just need to be patient and need to give it some time. I do understand that times are bleak and the weather is not bright right now. But this too shall pass. We are all part of a big cycle; good times will come!
