By Rachita Sharma:
Very generous when called as the “first Assamese who made it big to the Bollywood”, Adil Hussain humbly denied “I am not the one. Before me, there was already Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen fame), who earned her position in the Film Industry.” His poised personality with a refined voice left the audience in awe when he played the role of an obnoxious husband in English Vinglish, or a cruel “Colonel” in Agent Vinod. Recently, his movie “Lessons in Forgetting” bagged the National Award for Best Movie in English Language. He has also bagged the Best Actor Award at the New Jersey Film Festival for Lessons in Forgetting, directed by Unni Vijayan. “I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this movie. It is a movie about female infanticide, and I want the Indian audience to please watch it. It is going to be released on 19th April.”
Adil Hussain, who is only 12 movies old, but so soon has been able to made an impact on the audience with his constructive roles like that of an obnoxious husband in English Winglish, a villainous “Colonel” in Agent Vinod and recently globally acclaimed, nominated for Oscars in 11 categories, “Life Of Pi”. His journey to Bollywood had begun all of a sudden when his co-actor and friend Jogi in the TV serial “Jasoos Vijay” became a Casting Director for the movie “Ishqiya”. “Vishal Bharadwaj then contacted me and that’s how the journey started” says Adil.
Earlier, he had stated in an interview that his only identity in the Bollywood was that of “Vidya Balan’s husband in Ishqiya”. But with English Winglish, Life of Pi and Meera Nair’s ‘Reluctant Fundamentalist’, Adil has been brought fore on the International Platform. “Yes, I think the consecutive release of my two films Agent Vinod and English Winglish helped me in gaining a little popularity among the Indian viewers.”
On his experience in being a part of Oscar nominated Life of Pi, Adil adds, “It was an exceptional movie. Life of Pi, originally a book on which the movie was based upon, focuses on two characters- a boy and a tiger. It was a fascinating book, very imaginative. Now, the technology has gone so far that a story like Life of Pi can actually be made real on the screen.” Adil further adds about his experience while working with the director Ang Lee. “He is a visionary in film-making. When I came to know about that I’ll be working with him, I was so excited. He is one the most humble person, I have come across- a real gem.” Sharing the screen with yet another French Legend Gerard Depardieu was like an icing on the cake. “Gerard is a funny person. He is a natural actor. He never got any training. He just slides into any role so easily.”
His coming release is Meera Nair’s Reluctant Fundamentalist, which is set to hit the theaters in the upcoming months. “Meera Nair is a very dear friend of mine. I have a tiny but very important role in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. The entire missionary is looking for me in the film. I knew her since early 1990s. She had offered me the role of Buddha in her biopic with the same title. Unfortunately, that project couldn’t get completed.”
Adil Hussain is currently working in Lutera, Bombay’s Most Wanted, Blemished Light along with one Bengali and an Assamese Movie.