Adil Hussain made India proud by winning the best actor award ?for his two films 每 Prakash Jha's directorialPareeksha and Vijay Jayapal's Nirvaan In The Film at Indo 每 German film week inBerlin.?We spoke to this stellar performer about his big win, decade long career and struggles inBollywood.
To begin with we asked about the award he won at Indo- German filmweek in Berlin, and what importance does it hold in his life, he said, ※Anykind of recognition gives a greater awareness about the film which is mostprobably overlooked by the audiences.
And when the film gets an award people get inspired to watch it and thatis very important. Also for an actor, it is sort of an?inspiration too, also it fortifies, vindicates my belief in a particularkind of film and particular acting I like and believe which is realism.§
When quizzed about how realism doesn't notget much importance in Bollywood, towhich he said,?
※That has been the case for a long time, Satyajeet Ray andeveryone they all had struggled. Even if you take music, there are very famous singersin Bollywood who do playback singing and then there are classical singers, but Bollywoodplayback singers are way more famous than Bhimsen Joshi and other classicalsinges, It has been an external issue that finer aspects of art or any kind of art will havefewer takers because it demands a kind of active participation from the viewersor listeners.
And generally, human beings are, there is something we call it the innerlaziness that if you are getting something on your face then you are sittingthere and being entertained, then people don't want to get up and participatein something, they want to be entertained. So, active participation in the particular artistic process is a revolutionary process, the audience andlisteners have to involved and give attention and see a certain aspect oflife by the art that is represented, so that particular aspect is difficult inany other country and not only India.
?But in India for some reason wehave not able to do it due to lack of understanding of art and the kind of filmmakersthat we have, the lack of education also in the common mass is that we haven'tbeen able to help them to sort of taste certain aspect of life through cinemaor music, So that's the reason I do the lesser amount of films that I do in Indiaor you would say mainstream cinema.§
Adding to that, Adil feels he's lucky to get good work,?
※I am solucky that I have been cast in good cinema in Hindi films as well, not necessarilylead roles but important roles like I started with Ishqika then English Vinglishhappened, and then producers and directors have encouraged to cast me in lead.Like Prakash Jha, he generally does films with big stars and now he cast me inthe lead role (Pareeksha), so the changes are there, but it's pretty slow. I wish it couldbe faster, but I am pretty hopeful.
Now next generationactors, who are getting way better roles, the scripts are much better, the OTTplatforms are giving them more space, unknown actors are getting lead roles like Jaideep Ahalwaat, the police officer in Paatal Lok, those are not known actors but they aregetting lead roles and people are appreciating, so this process has started andit's the beginning of the golden era of the cinema, that's what I feel.
Adil does commercial films because he wants recognition in hisindependent and artistic films,?
※Talking about Good Newwz, Force 2 Or Robot 2,so when I am part of commercial films like these, more people get to know about meand face gets established and that helps me when I do smaller films that ohthis actor is there in that particular film so there could be a few more viewers. The commercial films that I do they pay me a lot of money, which sortof subsidies my participation in an artistic film where I get paid very little. Ialso have to pay? my bills, so thesecommercial films that I do that help me to subsidies my artistic activities in independent films and my theatre. So these are two main reasons I docommercial films, because I have no other way.§
Adding further, ※Though English Vinglish wasn't a typical mainstream streamin terms of its narrative style or story but it became a mainstream filmbecause it was so well made, I been told by people that they went to cinema hallsalmost after 20 years at the theaters to watch the film,§ said the actor.
Adil is happy that people know him as a good actor and not by his name,?
※Because of my popularity through English Vinglish, the audience when they seemy face in an independent film, they might not know my name but they give theimportance by saying this is the same actor, isko bhi dekh lete hai, let's watchhis film also as he's a good actor, he might have something interesting andthat's precisely why I do commercial films that give some more credibility inmasses.§
When asked despite working for 10years, ?he still doesn't have a name tohis face, he said,?
"I don't have any complains, whoever actually have to know me they know me. I have got a very hardcore fan following, not huge but I have. There is a tremendoussense of expectation from me that is also pretty difficult to bear on myshoulder. Also, whenever more people have to know me, they will know me, I neverwork for that§.
Having said that, he still hopes to have more people would know him as itwould be easier for producers to invest in him,?
※ I wish few more people would have known mefor the producers to get that money back and that money would we used in makinganother good film that I would like to act, so there I feel I wish I was more popular. My Twitter followers are 66000 and some people have 40 million so it's a hugegap and that's not good enough to get the producers their return. Personally Iam happy that I am less known because I am less bothered and hounded by people whenI am in public. And especially nowadays masks helps a lot. I just came to myhome town in Assam where people recognised me in my mask and I was surprisedlike 'do you watch my films a hundred times or what', however this much popularityI can handle but not more than that.§
Shine On Adil Hussian.