Actor Adil Hussain recalls the time theatre veteran Robin Das cast him as Mephistophiles in his adaptation of Doctor Faustus . While he jokes about how traumatised he was back then believing that he was offered the part purely because Das saw some evil in him, he remembers that the role enabled him to confront an important question: was he deteriorating as a human being to become a better actor? “That led me on a quest to look for answers,” says the remarkably versatile Hussain whose choice of vocation has frequently inspired him to reflect on the role of the actor in art, society and life.
Crossover star
Hussain, known for his exemplary work across genres, borders and languages, speaks of his latest international collaboration, Norwegian-Pakistani director Iram Haq’s What Will People Say which had its Asia premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival last month. The film is closely based on Haq’s life and in it Hussain plays her father, the head of an immigrant family in Norway who forcibly leaves his young daughter with relatives in Pakistan when he finds her becoming too ‘Westernised’ for her own good. And yet, his characterisation is surprisingly sensitive and empathetic. Despite all the rigidity, itself the result of conventions which he too no doubt feels stifled by, he is a loving and indulgent father who truly believes he is doing what is best for his child. Hussain who grew up under a similarly strict parent admits that there was some identification with the character. At the same time, enacting the part was deeply cathartic, explains Hussain: “the role helped me to reconcile with my grudges and unspoken accusations against my dad”. The question of whether being an actor is solely about gaining fame and fortune or also a way to lead a better life by broadening one’s perspectives and helping oneself and others understand and empathise through art is clearly one the actor often ponders over. Despite the trauma that the past holds for Haq and her family, Hussain remembers seeing her brothers who were present at the screening of the film in Oslo this October coming up to congratulate her and the performers. “The impact of the film spills over in life, spills over among all the people involved,” he says.
An actor prepares
Regarding his own process as an actor and his preparation for a role, Hussain discusses how he reads the script several times, dives into experiences from the past and accesses creative spaces within himself in order to prepare what he calls ‘the instrument’ — the body and emotions — to be played. He describes it as a method where the active thinking mind is forced to withdraw and creativity is allowed to flow seamlessly: “Magic happens when you let things happen rather than trying to make things happen,” says the actor who also feels humbled by the process believing that the end product is the result of something that is done tohim rather than by him.
Hussain has a fair bit of experience teaching his methods to students at various institutes and so I ask him if and to what extent his acting and teaching careers collide. Hussain is quick to respond: “Most of the things that I have learnt are through teaching,” and proceeds to explain how he helps his students at the National School of Drama prepare for roles. The key, he says, is to ‘receive’ a role. Before I can ask what he means, he describes how older Sanskrit plays would often use ‘paatra’ or ‘paatri’ to denote characters. Since the word ‘paatra’ also means ‘vessel’, it works as a wonderful metaphor for the role itself. The idea would imply that the actor would have to be like water — fluid, transparent and able to quench thirst – so as to fit into the vessel. The instrument of the actor, Hussain elaborates, needs to be pliable enough to fit into any ‘paatra’ or genre of filmmaking.
Then there is the question of inner flexibility, the idea of being open, accepting and non-judgemental. “An actor must have deep empathy towards every possible role that s/he plays and it’s impossible to be empathetic in a creative space unless s/he practises it in real life,” says Hussain. “It is a painful process, emotionally” to let go off one’s preconceived notions, he grants, given how opinionated we are about people, things, ideas and ideologies but it is there that he feels he can play his part as a teacher. Again, it is the actor’s task to extend this deeper empathy and understanding to his/her audience, “to help them to see one truth from different perspectives,” as Hussain puts it.
Passion and detachment
The actor has of late been trying to get more involved with theatre and tells me about Karmanishtha written by director and friend Dilip Shankar. Evoking the Gita, it is a play that revolves around the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. Hussain intends to play both characters and is particularly interested in the process of reconciling Krishna’s higher wisdom with his relatively more human side. He recalls that it has been a dream ever since he read the Gita in 1994 and realised that the text would need a kind of deep and intense involvement. He finally feels ready to engage with the project and has been reading Sri Aurobindo’s version of the text to understand the context better. Interestingly, he believes that what Krishna says to Arjuna – to have no judgement, to discard hatred — is also essentially what the actor should strive for.
Home ground
We finally come to the subject of the cinema of his native Assam when Hussain tells me of his film Maj Rati Keteki by filmmaker Santwana Bardoloi which has just been released. He speaks excitedly of recent films by younger filmmakers from the region which have done well like Chaaknoiya and Village Rockstars , mentions the state’s long-standing and rich traditions of storytelling and the work of revered filmmakers like Bhabendra Nath Saikia, Jahnu Barua and Sanjib Hazarika. However, he feels there is a need for proper film institutes, a greater engagement with the craft of filmmaking and more cinema halls in the state, stating that there are lamentably as few as 75-80 functional theatres in Assam. Moreover, stories that throw light on the socio-political realities and recent history of the region need to be explored extensively. “If we want to call it an Assamese film industry, we really have to make it like that,” he emphasises.
