The Unlikely Hero

I do films,I do theatre; when I am doing neither,I spend time with my wife. I teach at National School of Drama,Delhi,and Film and Television Institute,Pune,and when I have more time to spare,I cook, says actor Adil Hussain.

I do films,I do theatre; when I am doing neither,I spend time with my wife. I teach at National School of Drama,Delhi,and Film and Television Institute,Pune,and when I have more time to spare,I cook, says actor Adil Hussain. He is currently in Pondicherry,setting up five plays for the Festival of Plays for the Karmic Research Centre. Hussains name doesnt ring a bell instantly. Although he has been acting for a while,doing TV shows,short films and theatre,it was only his cameo in Ishqiya and the role as the antagonist in Agent Vinod,that brought him to the fore. I have my friend Jogi to blame. He was the one who insisted I audition for Ishqiya. Director Abhishek Chaubey called me soon after and told me that I would be playing Vidya Balans husband in the film, he says.

Ishqiya gave Hussain an unexpected start in the film industry,by bringing in some great offers. Ang Lee,of Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain fame,who had seen some of his previous work,contacted him for a role in Life of Pi. When Ang Lee asks you to do his film,you just do it, he states. In Lees movie,he plays the father of Pi,the films central character,and is cast opposite Tabu. But its Mira Nairs The Reluctant Fundamentalist that will feature him in a more dramatic role of Mustafa Fazil. His immediate release,however,is Gauri Shindes English Vinglish where he plays Sridevis husband.

Its been a good journey so far. The fact that I am getting to work with so many renowned directors and talented actors just adds to the charm, he says. With fame comes more opportunity,and Hussains case is no different. Next,he has Aditya Bhattacharyas Bombays Most Wanted and an English film titled Sunrise.

Hussains tryst with acting started during his early years in Assam. As a child,I was fascinated by the stand-up comedians who used to perform each year during the Assamese festival of Rongali Bihu. I would invite the neighbours kids to watch my version of stand-up comedy on a make shift stage constructed outside my house, says the actor. He almost made a profession out of being a stand-up comedian in Assam after joining Dhrubojit Kishore Choudhurys troupe. I earned my living as a stand-up comedian for six years,before I got through NSD in 1990.

His stint at NSD made him a more confident actor. In 1999,Hussain played Othello in Othello a Play in Black and White directed by Roysten Abel. This set me up for bigger things in life, says Hussain,who for a long time was content doing theatre. A BBC series Vijay Jasoos made him more recognisable to the world. However,living in Delhi meant he was quite cut off from Bollywood. Thankfully,I did not need to go to Mumbai to look for this opportunity it found its way to me, he says.

Now that he is part of the Mumbai film industry,Hussain is looking at doing both films and theatre. Theatre teaches one discipline and the art of perfection,but film acting helps keep concentration amid chaos and trust ones creativity more, he says.

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The Unlikely Hero

I do films,I do theatre; when I am doing neither,I spend time with my wife. I teach at National School of Drama,Delhi,and Film and Television Institute,Pune,and when I have more time to spare,I cook, says actor Adil Hussain.

I do films,I do theatre; when I am doing neither,I spend time with my wife. I teach at National School of Drama,Delhi,and Film and Television Institute,Pune,and when I have more time to spare,I cook, says actor Adil Hussain.