Adil Hussain on his film ”˜Feast of Varanasi’, Oscars and Theatre
By Manju Mittal
Adil Hussain, who hails from Aasam, has established himself as a versatile performer through a varied range of films such Life of Pie, English Vinglish, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Ishqiya, Main Aur Charles, Lootera and Sunrise. Since his childhood, he has acted in many plays and later appeared in tele films, radio plays and as a stand up comedian. He was awarded a scholarship to study acting at he National School of Drama, New Delhi.
Adil Hussain is playing the role of a CBI Officer in his upcoming film ”˜Feast of Varanasi’ directed by UK based director Rajan Kumar Patel. Feast of Varanasi is a taut thriller, which matches a sense of place and narrative to deliver an original and beautiful film unlike any other made in India.
Adil Hussain gave us his valuable time to talk about his film Feast of Varanasi and his views about Indian Cinema.
”˜Feast of Varanasi’ is releasing in March in UK, How does it feel?
I saw this film in my home projection and I find this film brilliantly made by Rajan. Honestly, I had few concerns about the film, it is difficult to put it in Art or Commercial kind of film whether it will be picked up by film market, can’t guess. But I am extremely glad and happy for Rajan and all of us and incredibly proud of Rajan. I am looking forward to the release of the film in March.
Tell us about ”˜Feast of Varanasi’ and what inspired you to do the film?
It is a crime thriller, a story of a young English woman who comes to visit her aunt ”“ her mother’s sister for the first time who is working as a missionary in Varanasi for more than two decades. It is a dark film that has lots of twists and turns to it.
Most important aspect was to do this film, Rajan wrote the script and when the director himself is so clear what he is looking for and when he narrated the script to me and approached me for his film, I am glad that I went ahead and acted in the film. Overall it was a great experience working with him.
What do you offer to your fans with ”˜Feast of Varanasi’?
( Laugh ) I don’t know I leave it to the audience. According to my understanding I would like to hear my audience who has seen my film ”˜Sunrise’. I don’t have to convince the audience to love my films as long as they have a strong response.
Adil, you are from the National School of Drama, What difference do you feel in two mediums theatre and films?
I think I like both equally but I love acting on stage more than in front of camera. There is difference in proximity to the audience. Because in theatre you are always in a long shot but in film the camera comes so close that it almost touches your face. On the stage you are far away all the time. In theatre it is easy because you have done it hundred times in the rehearsal. But in films you have not rehearsed at all and they expect you to be there. So the more films you do, the more accustomed you get. It’s a technical thing.
What other projects do you have in hand now?
I have just finished a French film it is called Crash test Aglae, I am absolutely excited about this film. The one I am shooting now are Bioscopewala with Danny Denzongpa, Salvation Home, Robot 2 with Rajnikanth, Commando2 and I am doing a Malayalam film.
Do you feel Oscars is important for India?
It is a pity that Indians don’t get there. Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan all carry the prestige of being former nominees for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, but unfortunately none of them succeeded in winning. There is the internal politics in the selection process to think about both in India and in the US. I think we have the capability to make films for the global audience.
It was great interviewing Adil, I met him in person two years ago in Goa film festival. Adil is based in Delhi, unlike his counterparts based in Mumbai. Adil also added, in his spare time that he loves to cook, watch films and enjoy reading.
Feast of Varanasi film receives its World Premier at London Asian Film Festival on March 5th and a general release on March 11th. The film will be released in theatres in India by the end of June or July this year. We sincerely wish Adil best of luck in all his future endeavours.
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