It cannot go unnoticed that Ali Fazal has adapted to the evolving cinema with his choices and has opted for refreshed, permeable roles. His nuanced characters in the last ten years have made him an unmissable talent in the industry with increased potential for global recognition and an exponential hunger for substance.
While the actor is still figuring out how to market himself at a time when other stars have PRs buzzing social media platforms with all sorts of posts, he lets his work do all the talking. His latest release Death On The Nile hit the theatres on February 11, 2022, and has been a long-anticipated film for his Indian fans to watch him do his thing amidst a sparkling star cast.
The film features Oscar-nominee Kenneth Branagh, who also directed the film, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. Ali may have been a blink-and-miss phenomenon in the trailer, but his character has way more screentime in this 2022 Agatha Christie adaptation.
In an exclusive chat with Times Now Digital, Ali’s excitement seems palpable having worked with the stellar performers. “It was amazing. It’s always exciting when you go from here (Hindi film industry) into another industry, into another movie of a different language and having the chance to share notes with people from all over the world. So I thought it was very exciting to do that, to have a chance to do that,” he says.
Though an experienced performer in the thriller genre, take Mirzapur for instance, Ali’s fascination for Agatha Christie was actually “forced” despite having a full collection at his home since his mother was an avid reader of the mystery novels.
“I was forced to be a fan. Growing up I was surrounded by Agatha Christie because of my mom. She used to read it like all the time. Aaj bhi ghar mein itni kitaabe hai. We have the whole collection and because of that I never read any one of them. I was like, ‘Mujhe nahi padna’. So Death On The Nile became my first book of Agatha Christie that I read because of the film,” he adds.
Director Kenneth Branagh had Ali read a scene for the film after he was introduced to his work via Judy Dench, with whom the Milan Talkies actor worked in the critically acclaimed Victoria & Abdul (2017). While in London, after the actor read a scene from the film, his characterization as Andrew Katchadourian, was conceptualised, right from the way he would talk to his cuff links, which is a departure from the original movie in 1978. “We decided to the smallest pin on his suit to the moustache and the structure of that we would approach. It was fun. It was a really long process. But it was worth it,” Ali shares.
His to and fro travels and switching industries have become his lifestyle but he goes on to share how besides “sharing notes” he does have a few takeaways from the whole experience of the west.
“I think the best thing is to show up on time (is what I’ve learnt) from all these people,” he laughs. “That is the one thing I bring back home. But apart from that, the idea that we all have an equal stake is important. When you go up on set, I was never made to feel that I’m anything less than anybody there – that’s the job of a producer or a director. Every film is different, acting changes from director to director,” he says.
With a handful of experience of Bollywood and Hollywood, Ali goes on to share his observations of what might be lacking in the Hindi film industry. “The unions can be stronger here, this is something I noticed in the pandemic. Many technicians and artistes have lost work. Unko support karne ke liye na hume system thoda strong karna hai. I think the Producers Guild of India is very strong. It’s becoming proactive. So we are slowly getting there,” he shares.
During the pandemic, besides his projects being put on hold and his Hollywood movie being delayed, Ali also suffered personal loss. In a sad state of affairs, the actor’s mother passed away in June 2020 and later his grandfather left for his heavenly abode in April 2021.
Opening up about it, he reluctantly says, “I mean it’s been hard. I’m not speaking much about it but then, I suppose, everybody has been through some kind of loss. But I just prayed. I prayed for everybody because we as a country have really suffered during this pandemic,” and goes to talk about his spiritual journey to Mecca and Medina that he embarked on in January 2022, “That was my spiritual moment when I went (to Mecca and Medina). I can’t comment on anything else. We’re all healing.”
Meanwhile, Ali expresses his dissonance with his marriage speculations. Though Ali and actress Richa Chadha were reportedly going to tie the knot in 2020, their plans were put on hold due to the lockdown. Speaking about the constant remarks on it, he says, “I mean I don’t know what do I say about it. It’s my personal life. Maybe I have to work on it. I’m not very good at opening up about my personal life so I’ve been learning how to deal with paps (paparazzi). But when I do have the clarity I will talk about it.”
Does it get annoying? “Sometimes, maybe. But that’s a cat and mouse game the media and we play forever.,” he signs off.
