Ali Fazal on Mirzapur: People weren't sure I would be able to do this

In an exclusive interview with mid-day.com, Ali Fazal talks about Mirzapur season 2, his upcoming Hollywood flick, and dealing with social media negativity.

Right from Bollywood to Hollywood, web series to short films, Ali Fazal has been doing it all. The 33-year-old actor has been entertaining us with his power-packed performances, and don't even get us started on his portrayal of Guddu Pandit in Amazon Prime Video's Mirzapur. Now that the second season of the much-loved web series is set to launch on October 23, Ali Fazal speaks to mid-day.com's Supriya Nair in an exclusive chat about the show and much more.

First and foremost, speaking about 2020 and the grief of losing his mother this year, Ali Fazal shares, "I think I'm just glad that something like Mirzapur is coming out, and hopefully it's going to be a healthy distraction from all the madness we've been experiencing. It's been a bad year for everybody, I don't want to take any centrestage on it, but yes, personally it's been a heavy loss. I've just been on autopilot... I'll process it in good time."

Coming to Mirzapur and the exceptional response the first season got from the audience, Ali says that he hadn't really expected it. "We knew we were working on something interesting, but it was a hard thing to pull off, and depended a lot on the characters and the way they were portrayed. People weren't sure if I would be able to do something like this, because we're usually cast on the basis on what we have done before," says the actor.

Also read: Mirzapur 2 Trailer: Enter The Murky World Of Vengeance And Conspiracies

Now that Mirzapur 2 is on its way, Ali Fazal has found himself feeling a little nervous about the audiences' reaction this time around. "I just hope we're competent enough, considering how much people have been waiting for it. The fear is always there that people might hurl abuses at us for what we've made. Season 2 got delayed due to the pandemic, but I'm glad we're bringing it in my birthday month, so it's like a little gift," says Ali, who celebrates his birthday on October 15.

Speaking about how his character has developed from season 1 to now, Ali says, "People are different, and we come out very differently from tragedies that we experience. In this case, a large part of his (Guddu's) family is wiped out in front of his eyes. So this season, we've made a choice and you'll see a very mature side to the show, but we've retained the flavour of Mirzapur."

Also read: Here's How Ali Fazal Is Motivating People To Chase Their Dreams

When it comes to social media and all of the negativity it entails, Ali Fazal has a healthy way to deal with it. He says, "We're artists, and as much as we have a voice of our own, we have to be focused on using our craft to change mindsets. This year has been horrible for our farmers, our working class, our technicians, and I would rather talk about that. I'm really proud of a little animation film that I worked on, called Tasveer, made by Ashutosh Pathak. It's such a relevant piece and I've never been so proud of anything I've ever done."

Watch the complete interview below:

Ali Fazal will soon be seen in Kenneth Branagh's mystery thriller Death on the Nile, which stars Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, and Letitia Wright. Speaking about the experience working with such a talented cast, Ali says, "It was like a party everyday. And I met legends... Annette Bening was on set and I was in love. Gal (Gadot) was there, and Armie Hammer, whom I've met before. Kenneth is interesting to work with because he's also an actor so he understands you very well."

With Mirzapur season 2 right around the corner, here's wishing Ali Fazal and the entire team all the best!

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