Ali Fazal to WION on 'Mirzapur 2', Hollywood films and fanboy moments

Ali Fazal has become India’s latest success story, bridging the gap between Hollywood and the Indian film industry, one project at a time. From ‘Death On The Nile’ to ‘Mirzapur 2’ and a new international project that the actor has landed titled ‘Code Name: Johnny Walker’, Ali is building a diverse portfolio that he says he is “grateful for as I can explore cinema on both sides of the world.”

Speaking to WION about his Hollywood projects, the hype around Amazon web series ‘Mirzapur 2’ and what's kept him busy during the pandemic, Ali says, “It’s been quite a journey and in the last one and a half and two years, audiences have kept us quite relevant in the news with fandom going nuts and the memes having a universe of its own”, who is “intrigued” about the audience’s response to the second season of ‘Mirzapur’ that premiered on Amazon Prime today.

‘Mirzapur’ 2 promises ‘revenge’ as Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Golu (Shweta Tripathi) carry forward the story with (Bablu) Vikrant Massey and (Sweety) Shriya Pilgaonkar getting killed off in an ugly bloodbath in the climax of first season. On forging a new bond with Shweta Tripathi, Ali says, “It was a new equation as I had never worked with her before in this close proximity. Her character goes through a universal shift in the ecosystem of Mirzapur but I really miss Vikrant and Shriya as with those two the acting got distributed. It was a bit easy. Now we have to hold our own front. It's not a jugalbandi anmore.”Read our review for 'Mirzapur 2' here.

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It’s been a promising journey for Ali.

“It's been of growth and evolution, both as a person and an actor. There have been a lot of changes -- for one thing the world has changed thanks to COVID. It’s been an eye-opener for human society.”

“Doing something new, experimental is what I love. I love collaborations when we propagate teamwork. I say that because there is a movie I finished during lockdown, a full feature between two people who have co-written and starred. At the same time, there is Death On The Nile that is an elaborate cast, shooting on lavish sets with film cameras. It doesn't get better and more rare. You get spoilt. I am more of a fan of celluloid, short story format,” he explains.

While ‘Mirzapur 2’ is the buzzword today on the internet, Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Death On The Nile’ is a pretty big deal too as Ali Fazal stars alongside Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, and Armie Hammer in what is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel by the same name. Recounting his filming experience, Ali says, “Everyday was a huge party on set. It’s a classic whodunnit that is a franchise now in fact. Kenneth Branagh led us beautifully in the world of Agatha Christie. Since he’s also an actor he knew how to keep us sane, in our own spaces. All of us were together throughout the process of the shoot but it didn’t feel like I was among mega stars. They were just people at the end of the day.”

Giving more insight into the sets of ‘Death On The Nile’, the Bollywood actor says, “She was a really beautiful and sweet person. She came with her family to London. She has two lovely kids. Then there’s Armie Hammer and Annette Bening. Annette is someone we have all had childhood crushes on. I was fanboying there. She’s a legend.”

“Our regular dinner table conversations would range --from somebody’s acting advice to world politics or books we were reading.”

Ali Fazal might be working with the top stars of the world but he admits getting starstruck as and when he comes in contact with an acting icon. Revealing his biggest fanboy moment, he says, “I went for the premiere for the ‘Irishman’. It was my first conversation with Al Pacino. Standing and talking about Kenneth with Al Pacino as he told me how much he enjoys how work. I have met Robert De Niro before when he came to india. But this was like Martin Scorsese, and personalised conversation with Al Pacino. It couldn't have gotten better. It was priceless. This I will take to my grave. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life.”

Ali Fazal recently bagged ‘Code Name: Johnny Walker’, based on the memoir of an Iraqi translator who worked with the US Navy SEALs. Without revealing much about the project, Ali said that it’s slated for the second half of 2021 and is based on a true story. “I'm playing Johnny Walker,” while the rest of the cast is yet to be finalised.

On his personal front, Ali Fazal and Richa Chaddha plan on keeping their wedding off the charts till the pandemic gets over. WIthout divulging much, he says, “Hopefully early next year”.

Meanwhile, he has two films at Cannes that he’s looking forward to next year. Then there’s ‘Fukrey 3’ that he calls “an interesting comeback”. Also, he’s released an animation film that he says is “very proud of doing during the pandemic”. “Titled Tasveer, the film is on the crisis that we have been through during the pandemic. It's a mind blowing animation. I have never been so proud of something so much,” signsoff Ali Fazal.