The Coronavirus pandemic put many things on hold for many of us and similarly, actor Ali Fazal too had a slow start to the year. However, chances are that he will end 2020 with a bang, if a recent report by Firstpost is anything to go by. Fazal is all set to return as the gangster Guddu Pandit for the much-awaited second season of Amazon Prime series, Mirzapur 2, which is slated for release tomorrow.
Following Mirzapur 2, he will also be seen in Hollywood’s Death on the Nile, a Kenneth Branagh adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. The actor is all set to star alongside Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, and Armie Hammer. The film is tentatively slated for release in December.
Ali Fazal is currently focusing on the release of Mirzapur 2, as are all his fans. He does however, remain anxious about the audiences’ reaction to his character, which he promised will have a new arc. “The stakes are much higher. We have to top the previous season. Guddu Bhaiyya’s character becomes a much more mature version after the tragedy that wipes out his family in front of his eyes,” the portal quotes Fazal as saying.
He went on to emphasise on the fact that because there’s only his character left with Shweta Tripathi’s Golu now, the uncertainty surrounding them may drive Guddu insane. “With the excessive anger in him, he may even leave Mirzapur and become quiet and somber,” he added. Continuing, he said, “It’s been one of the hardest characters to play. Physically it’s been taxing and this time I had to take the character a notch higher and I really hope that we can keep the same flavour. Because he is the same person but more cerebral,” continues the star.
He then revealed that he missed playing the innocent side of Guddu Pandit. He went on to confess that he also missed his co-stars Vikrant Massey (Bablu) and Shriya Pilgaonkar (Sweety), whose characters were killed in the first season. “I felt a bit lonely and even called Vikrant from the set one day to tell him I was missing him. For me, he was my go-to person. But now there’s Shweta. She comes as a major character and takes Vikrant’s place in many ways,” he admits.
The problem with Mirzapur however, according to the actor, is the graphic violence and expletives. Fazal recalled the shock of being tagged in a photo of gun-toting teenage boys once, who were possibly inspired by the show.
“I was shocked. We couldn’t get to their parents, but were able to track them down and explain what they did was wrong. So, I have made some conscious choices with Guddu this time. I have used fewer cuss words but kept the flavour alive.” Ali Fazal has had a smooth running in the different varieties of cinema. On this, he feels rather lucky.
“I really feel lucky to have stepped into this franchise,” says Fazal while talking about his role in Death on the Nile. “And getting to play a part that wasn’t even meant for an Indian, It has been a great example of blind casting,” he adds. “But, of course, the entire cast is very diverse and we brought some valuable contributions.” Adding to his extensive career, Fazal has now also bagged the lead role in war drama Code Name: Johnny Walker, based on the memoir of an Iraqi translator who worked with the US Navy SEALs.
“Shooting for Code Name:Johnny Walker will start next year. I have to finish some commitments here first. Fukrey 3 was in the works, so hopefully I will finish that and then leave,” he said while reiterating that he wants to be part of good cinema, both in India and the West.
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“I sense this is a great time, right now, OTT is the biggest platform. Then, there is great cinema coming out, great art is also churning out, not just in Hindi films but also in Malayalam and Tamil cinema. I want to be part of the cinema here and bridge the two. It’s all one world now,” he concluded.