A Decade In Bollywood! Adil Hussain Happy People Know Him As A 'Good Actor' If Not By His Name

Adil Hussain made India proud by winning the best actor award for his two films 每 Prakash Jha＊s directorial Pareeksha and Vijay Jayapal＊s Nirvaan In The Film at Indo 每 German film week in Berlin. We spoke to this stellar performer about his big win, decade long career and struggles in Bollywood.

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When the film gets an award, people too get inspired to watch it

To begin with we asked about the award he won at Indo- German film week in Berlin, and what importance does it hold in his life, he said, ※Any kind of recognition gives a greater awareness about the film which is most probably overlooked by the audiences.

And when the film gets an award people get inspired to watch it and that is very important. Also for an actor, it is sort of an inspiration too, also it fortifies, vindicates my belief in a particular kind of film and particular acting I like and believe which is realism.§

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It has been an external issue that finer aspects of art or any kind of art will have fewer takers

When quizzed about how realism doesn＊t not get much importance in Bollywood, to which he said,

※That has been the case for a long time, Satyajeet Ray and everyone they all had struggled. Even if you take music, there are very famous singers in Bollywood who do playback singing and then there are classical singers, but Bollywood playback singers are way more famous than Bhimsen Joshi and other classical singes, It has been an external issue that finer aspects of art or any kind of art will have fewer takers because it demands a kind of active participation from the viewers or listeners.

And generally, human beings are, there is something we call it the inner laziness that if you are getting something on your face then you are sitting there and being entertained, then people don＊t want to get up and participate in something, they want to be entertained. So, active participation in the particular artistic process is a revolutionary process, the audience and listeners have to involved and give attention and see a certain aspect of life by the art that is represented, so that particular aspect is difficult in any other country and not only India.

But in India for some reason we have not able to do it due to lack of understanding of art and the kind of filmmakers that we have, the lack of education also in the common mass is that we haven＊t been able to help them to sort of taste certain aspect of life through cinema or music, So that＊s the reason I do the lesser amount of films that I do in India or you would say mainstream cinema.§

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Lesser-known actors are getting lead roles and people are appreciating, so this process has started and it＊s the beginning of the golden era of the cinema

Adding to that, Adil feels he＊s lucky to get good work,

※I am so lucky that I have been cast in good cinema in Hindi films as well, not necessarily lead roles but important roles like I started with Ishqika then English Vinglish happened, 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 in the lead role (Pareeksha), so the changes are there, but it＊s pretty slow. I wish it could be faster, but I am pretty hopeful.

Now next generation actors, who are getting way better roles, the scripts are much better, the OTT platforms 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 are getting lead roles and people are appreciating, so this process has started and it＊s the beginning of the golden era of the cinema, that＊s what I feel.

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I also have to pay my bills, so these commercial films that I do help me to subsidies my artistic activities in independent films and my theatre.

Adil does commercial films because he wants recognition in his independent 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 me and face gets established and that helps me when I do smaller films that oh this 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 sort of subsidies my participation in an artistic film where I get paid very little. I also have to pay my bills, so these commercial 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 do commercial films, because I have no other way.§

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When the audiences see my face in an independent film, they might not know my name but they give the importance by saying this is the same actor, isko bhi dekh lete hai, let's watch his film also as he＊s a good actor.

Adding further, ※Though English Vinglish wasn＊t a typical mainstream stream in terms of its narrative style or story but it became a mainstream film because it was so well made, I been told by people that they went to cinema halls almost 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 see my face in an independent film, they might not know my name but they give the importance by saying this is the same actor, isko bhi dekh lete hai, let's watch his film also as he＊s a good actor, he might have something interesting and that＊s precisely why I do commercial films that give some more credibility in masses.§

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I don＊t have any complains, whoever actually have to know me they know me,

When asked despite working for 10 years, he still doesn＊t have a name to his 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 tremendous sense of expectation from me that is also pretty difficult to bear on my shoulder. Also, whenever more people have to know me, they will know me, I never work for that§.

Having said that, he still hopes to have more people would know him as it would be easier for producers to invest in him,

※ I wish few more people would have known me for the producers to get that money back and that money would we used in making another 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 huge gap and that＊s not good enough to get the producers their return. Personally I am happy that I am less known because I am less bothered and hounded by people when I am in public. And especially nowadays masks helps a lot. I just came to my home town in Assam where people recognised me in my mask and I was surprised like 'do you watch my films a hundred times or what', however this much popularity I can handle but not more than that.§

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Shine On Adil Hussian.