‘I am a fan of Sanjay Dutt’: Ali Fazal

In Happy Bhag Jayegi and its sequel, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi, Ali Fazal played a sweet, lost-in-love character called Guddu. In his new web series, Mirzapur, he plays Guddu once again. But this guy is far-removed from the earlier one, with his gangster vibes and the crime-infested world. That apart, the 32-year-old is part of some interesting film projects and will be seen playing beta to Sanjay Dutt in Prassthanam. We caught up with the good-looking actor, about the projects up his sleeve...

You have been part of Hollywood films such as Furious 7 and Victoria & Abdul. Has your criteria for choosing roles changed over time?

I guess, your perspective changes when you have been exposed to that side of the world and worked in different kinds of cinema. So, when scripts come in now, I just want to be more careful. Sometimes it’s in your control, sometimes it’s not. For instance, Mirzapur was pure instinct. A lot of people I knew were sceptical about me doing it. I did miss out on other projects because of that, but I don’t regret it.

You have Prassthanam and Milan Talkies coming up next. You play Sanjay Dutt’s son in the former, how was the experience?

I love it! Playing Sanjay Dutt’s son, what more could I ask for! (smiles) I’m a fan. I’m really excited. It’s a great ensemble too.

You’re also turning director with a short film. Can you tell us more about it?

I am shooting for it next month. I’m going to type it out now, as it’s only on paper at the moment. That’s all I can say for now!

Was it liberating for you to play a crude and crass character like Guddu in Mirzapur?

All the characters in the show are layered, Guddu was the same, too. There are so many facets to this guy.

In this web series, you are working with actors like Pankaj Tripathi. Does your job become easier when you work with good performers or does it make it more challenging?

Honestly, he’s (Pankaj) so good in so many scenes we have done, it makes my job easy. I have to do half the job then. I don’t have to bite into anyone’s scene to steal it. Pankajji is a giving actor. He’s not a scene stealer. He gives. If he receives, he will give even more, so it’s a jugalbandi.

We got to know that after your very first meeting with Vikrant Massey, you sent a message to Richa Chadha, stating, ‘Yeh toh hamare hi planet se hai’. How was it shooting with your on-screen brother?

From day one, it was so easy. I can’t think of another word but ‘easy’. End of day one, I was discussing my problems with him! I had never met him before. I’ve known his work for much longer but to hit it off and to know you have the same wavelength, and not just in cinema, is just something else.