Ali Fazal nominated at Busan flm fest: Will have to be extra careful now while choosing work anywhere

It took some time for actor Ali Fazal to realise the true value of getting nominated for best actor at the Asian Contents Awards by Busan Film Festival. But better late than never. He says the nod comes as a “nice bonus”, as it brings back one in the radar.

“I honestly didn’t know what it was because I didn’t read it (the news) properly. Then, my manager called me to inform me that it’s frigging Busan fest, after which we spoke to the festival people. It’s a big deal and nice to be among good bunch of people,” an ecstatic Fazal tells us, adding, “I was preparing for Khufiya, which we’ve already started shooting, so that’s why I didn’t notice it all day, but it’s actually a nice little bonus.”

Fazal has been nominated for his portrayal of a man struggling with mental breakdown in Forget Me Not segment in anthology web series, Ray. The prize ceremony will be held on October 7 in a hybrid way — online and on-site.

And the Mirzapur actor isn’t disappointed about not attending the festival in person, as he feels “safety is more important right now”.

While he’s continuing working in the West, getting any international recognition does help one get noticed. “It does make a big difference with the people there, with casting and everybody notice you, they are clued in,” he shares.

Fazal believes that right now, India is on the map when it comes to entertainment, and there’s still a long way to go. “It has become a level playing field now. There are a lot of people who’ve branched out. But the problem is that we’ve not championed our own for a long time, and that’s what is needed,” he explains.

As far as his career is concerned, Fazal admits he’s “much more satisfied” as an actor than he was a year ago, but that has brought along new difficulties for him.

“Making decisions has become hard because my unique problem is that I have one foot in the West and one foot here. I recently lost a very big show in India and I felt bad because mere paas dates nahi hai. But that’s a good problem and I’m not complaining,” he says, and is quick to add, “However, I’ve to be extra careful now what I’m choosing on both sides. I’ve to give time to both because I don’t want to leave home and this is just a great time for us. There’s a lot to be told and less time because kahaniyon se hi humara itihaas banega.”