The Poster Boy Of New-Gen Malayalam Cinema - Fahadh Faasil Is The Hero We All Need
In Malayalam film industry, Fahadh Faasil is the USP for a project. If he stars in a film, audiences know that they will never be disappointed. He is not a star like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan who has a blind and massive fan following, he is just an actor, a great one, who shines through his magnificent performances.?
1. With a receding hairline and no six-pack abs, Fahadh Faasil is an agent of change in Mollywood.
He is one of us. He looks just like the boy next door and that doesn't make him any less attractive. He makes you believe that perfect love stories exists and that that has nothing to do with the way one looks. With no abs at all and a receding hairline, he makes you go weak in the knees. That's how charming his personality is.?He doesn't fit in the conventional definition of a hero.?
2. He brought a wave of unconventional movies in Malayalam cinema.?
He didn't follow the easy route to become a superstar. In fact, he probably didn't want to be called that. His choices were different, unique and content-driven. With his unconventional choices, he shook the industry quite a lot, and for the good. He has given quite some unforgettable and critically acclaimed performances in films like 22 Female Kottayam,?Annayum Rasoolum, Artist, North 24 Kaatham, Bangalore Days, Take Off and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.
3. Did you know when he started his career, people declared him a dud?
Son of?renowned southern filmmaker AM Fazil, he made a disastrous debut?in 2002 with a film called Kaiyethum Doorathu. He was declared a flop.?
4. He vanished into thin air only to come back as a promising face!
Soon, he left to the US to study?MA in Philosophy from the University of Miami. People thought his career was over. However, he came back only to rise up stronger this time.
5. He?adds uniqueness to every role he portrays with his class-apart acting skills.?
In Kumbalangi Nights, he plays the role of a villain and he stays true to his role. In the film that he has produced, he didn't hog all the screen time. In 22 Female Kottayam, the film that inspired Sriram Raghavan's Ek Hasina Thi, he played an unconventional role of a man who lets his girlfriend sexually assaulted by his boss. It takes guts to play such a role for a man who has aspirations of becoming a leading man one day.?In Maheshinte Prathikaram, he doesn't have six packs or great looks that every conventional hero does, yet he makes you fall for him.?In Bangalore Days, he plays the role of a husband who is burdened by his past.?
In every film, he has portrayed different roles and shows his versatility, proving that he can fit into any mould.
6. Masala South Indian movies that have flying cars and cheesy storylines are not something he wants to be involved in.
He came with a vision and unlike his contemporaries who often stray into the masala entertainers losing their initial vision, Faasil is still going strong on his path.
7. What makes him stand out is the fact that he chooses not to stand out.
He is just here for good work and that's what keeps him going. He is not trying to fit in the industry or following the hit success formula of delivering blockbuster commercial films.??
8. He doesn't promote his films, because he believes his films do the talking!
Fondly called Fafa, Faasil is considered camera shy. He very often appears for the promotions of his own movies. Why? Because he feels incomplete about his movies. He once said that it takes at least a year for him to feel accomplished about a movie.?
9. Even Bollywood is singing praises for him. He might make his debut in Hindi cinema soon.
Dangal and Chhichhore director Nitesh Tiwari happened to discover the talent of Faasil a bit late. He admitted the same by calling him a "terrific actor".
10. However, he is not dying to be a part of a Hindi film.?
Rumours are rife that he might soon make his Bollywood debut in Tiwari's film. However, there is no official confirmation on the same. In fact, in one of the interviews, Faasil had confirmed that he has been getting offers from Bollywood. He said he might take up a role when he feels confident enough to be a part of the industry.?
He believes that he is only getting good roles because of Malayalam films and he would forever be thankful to Mollywood for that.
11. Did you know noted filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj had offered him a movie.?
"I keep interacting with Vishal Bhardwaj. He had actually sent me a script which was so beautiful. I hope he still makes it. Such a beautiful script. When I texted him last time, I said Sir, please make it. I am looking forward to do something there, let¡¯s see" he was quoted as saying in one of the interviews.
12. When he was awarded National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, he chose not to show up for it.?
This, he did, as part of a protest. When it was revealed that the Indian president will not be handing over the awards to the recipients, he along with several others from the Malayalam industry stayed away from the event.
13. He shot his next film at home during the lockdown in 18 days.
The 90-minute thriller was shot on a limited budget in 18 days during the lockdown. The film was shot in a restricted environment on a mobile phone. It will stream on Amazon Prime Video on Sep 1.?The movie also stars Choked fame Roshan Mathew.
If you want to witness the brilliance?of the great actor that Fahad Faasil is, watch his films --?Annayum Rasoolum (2013), Maheshinte Prathikaram (2016), Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), Super Deluxe (2019)and ?Trance (2020).?
