The first Indian to win Best Actor at the Norwegian National Awards last month, Adil Hussain who will be seen as a distressed farmer in Love Sonia this Friday – talks to The Hindu about emoting in front of a camera and more…
The most rewarding thing of being an actor is?
It is to be able to discover, dive deep into the sub-personalities that we generally don’t get to experience due to fear of being judged, outcast or even rejected in real life. We don’t explore those tendencies. We cannot transgress boundaries of right and wrong, correct and incorrect or the morality and values that we believe in. As an actor, we get to break down all these laws, ideas and conditioning one grows up with. As a human being, we understand more of ourselves.
The most frustrating thing about it?
You have to start from zero all over again, every time.
The one quality an actor must possess?
Is to be able to deeply empathise with the ‘other’, it could be human beings, objects, animals, the tress or even the sky anything which is the “other” of the others.
One trait an actor should absolutely not have?
Vanity
Instinct or method? What do you go for?
Both. Method, not method acting anymore, but it’s not instinct either, its intuition. Instinct is rudimentary. Intuitions is something finer. They don’t oppose each other though, the method teaches you how to go about intuition.
Actors are born or can be trained?
You are born with the quality, tendency and inner calling as an actor but you should also be trained and you will become a better actor. The success of the untrained actors that you see in the world are different kind of actors. They don't have the quality or skill of Pandit Ravi Shankar or Premchand Joshi. A popular Bollywood singer can imitate Premchand Joshi but will never be him. If you want to become legend you must train, as it is an art form.
Auditions are crucial or a waste of time?
It depends on who you are auditioning for. An actor while auditioning should also have the liberty to audition the director as well! If he has done many movies, you know if he is good or if he is mediocre, so you have a choice. If the director hasn’t seen the actors previous work, then the director should audition the actor and see what they are capable of.
What inspires you to pick up a role and reject another?
If the script is good and the role is decent I would pick anything. What inspires me to take on a role is mostly complexity, if I am challenged and if I haven’t done it before. Sometimes I do roles that I have done before or roles which are easier for me. The script should be well written, so role is the secondary to me.
Actor is a puppet in the hands of a director?
That would be very flawed, to think an actor could be puppet as an actor is a human being with complexities and a director would have similar complexities as well, so if any director thinks an actor is a puppet then I wouldn’t want to work with such a person.
An actor is a director in progress, a director in the making?
The tendency or drive to direct a film is incredibly special and different, so I don’t think an actor is a director in progress.
An actor you would have loved to direct were you a director?
There are so many of them! I'd like to work with all my friends. Actors like Radhika [Apte], Richa [Chadda], Kalki [Koechlin], Tisca [Chopra], Randeep Hooda. There are a few more but I would want to co-create something, if not direct.
The dream role...
If I could convincingly become Krishna for a few moments.
What is more important? The film or your role in it?
Of course the film!
If you were not an actor...
Maybe a cook or maybe even explore some vocal classical singing.
