Ali Fazal: Had to change my name to enter places for Mirzapur

Ali Fazal

Actor Ali Fazal had to change and register his name to Mir Fateh to enter the core interiors of Benares and Lucknow to shoot for the upcoming digital series Mirzapur.

"I had to change my name to be able to enter these places. It has been the most scary time while shooting for 'Mirzapur', yet adventurous. I am not saying this proudly and would not recommend this to others. To others I would say, try acting for a change and forget method," Ali said in a statement.

Ali plays the role of Guddu Pandit, a gangster set to take over a lawless land where trade of arms and drugs is normal life. For months to play the role convincingly and to look the part, the makers made Ali go through an intensive physical transformation to look like a convincing and intimating gangster on-screen.

Also, to do his stunts right, Ali took to discovering underground fight clubs in Benares, Old Delhi and Lucknow. He, through the knowledge of his friend, spent time to attend these gatherings to understand the fight techniques of raw underground fighters.

"I just chanced upon underground fight clans in Benares and Badohi during my research, and I picked up some tricks of the trade. It helped," he added.

Ali, who impressed the audience with his roles in films like 3 Idiots, Fukrey and Happy Bhag Jayegi, recently made his Hollywood debut with Fast and Furious 7 featuring Hollywood stars like Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson.

Talking about doing diverse roles, he said: "Earlier it wasn't deliberate as I did what came my way. But yes, now I choose unpredictability as that's the key to my creative juices."

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