From a small town Assamese boy, to a versatile actor, 55-year-old Adil Hussain has come a long way. Seen in films such as Life of Pi, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Parched, Ishqiya, Lootera, English Vinglish, Aiyaary, Mukti Bhavana and more recently the riveting Love Sonia, Adil chooses his films carefully, avoiding getting typecast. His film What People Will Say is Norway’s official entry to the Oscars 2019.
After debuting in Bengali films in 2004 with Anjan Das’s Iti Srikanta, Adil took 11 years to reappear in another Bengali film, Arindam Sil’s Har Har Byomkesh. We saw more of him this year in Mati, Ahare Mon, and his yet-to-be-released film, Abyakto is making all the right noises at the festivals. To be seen in Arindam Sil’s next, Khela Jokhon, the National School of Drama alumnus, who is busy shooting for a Hindi film in Ranchi, spoke with Indulge about his work and more. Excerpts:
So what are you shooting for at Ranchi?
I am shooting for a very famous Bollywood director and I am playing the lead in his movie. Since nothing has been announced formally yet, I cannot disclose anything beyond this (he laughs).
You have worked in global films. How different are things abroad?
There’s a vast cultural difference. In Europe the story and acting matter, not the star cast. In fact, I got the award for best-supporting actor in Norway for that film. Here we have a feudal mentality and tend to put heroes and politicians in a pedestal and follow them in life. Actors are just normal people, don’t treat us like God.
Your upcoming play, Karmanistha, based on dialogues between Arjun and Krishna from Bhagwad Gita is yet to be staged.
Yes, it’s getting stalled for my film commitments. I need at least three to four months break from films to focus on the play. I should be able to stage it by mid-2019.
How have you changed as a person?
I hail from Goalpara, a small district in Assam, where I grew up among men who considered women to be second class citizens. Acting and theatre enlightened me and gave me a wider perspective.
What are the projects you are currently working in?
I am playing a tribal poor from Jharkhand in Goutam Ghose’s next. The film has Tilottoma Shome and Neeraj Kabi besides me. There’s also Vijay Jaipal’s Nirvana Inn, a psychological, paranormal thriller set in Manali. I am also acting in Khasi documentary director Wanphrang Diengdoh’s Lorney The Flaneur. It has a very interesting plot.
Tell us...
This film deals with the theft of artefacts of immense architectural value. I play Shem, a jobless private detective who tries to find out how they got stolen and in that process figures out the value of the ancient customs and traditions of Khasi hills.