Lucky Charm

However,this time around,Ali isn’t going anywhere. He’s spent the last three months in Mumbai,juggling between post-production work for three Bollywood movies,a crossover film and an album. Runway,which releases next week,has cast him in a negative role. However,he isn’t quite looking forward to the film. “I have no idea what I’m doing in it,” he brushes the topic aside. “But I’m looking forward to Azeem Parker’s Rock Shock. I play a comic role for the first time — something close to the kind of characters my dad (Mahmood) played.”

Glad to be at the periphery of the film industry,the actor is critical of Bollywood. “It’s a very uncomfortable space. I don’t think Bollywood is serious about cinema. It’s very demeaning to the talent available here,” he says,a tad bitterly.

However,Mahesh Mathai’s Raastaman is likely to help him break into the space he respects. In this crossover movie,shot internationally,Ali acts as well sings for the project. Apart from this,Mathai,a partner in the music label Blue Frog,is bringing out the singer-composer’s next music collection Ek Soyi in August—- it comes five years after his last album Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai. “Music is a hobby that pays me well. I can’t churn out music like a factory since to me,music is about feelings,” he asserts.

The reclusive artist seems to be returning to the roots of humanity. He spends most of the year on his animal and organic farm in Bangalore. The rest is spent travelling,making music and fighting for various causes for the Indian farmers and working closely with them. “I like to have a dog’s life — sleep,relax and watch and eat whatever little can be managed. When I was young,my brother gave me a card which read: If you want the best from life,paddle slowly. I’ve come to adopt this principle in life,” he smiles,the smile of a monk in a self-imposed exile.