Adil Hussain has spent over 40 years as an actor, but he has never chased fame or box office success. Instead, he’s always picked good stories over glitz and glamour, from award-winning international films to some of the most powerful performances in Indian cinema. With his new film, ‘Max, Mini Aur Meowzaki’, now playing in theatres, Hussain talked about why more stars should support independent films, the hard choice he made to leave home to become an actor, and how acting still gives his life meaning.
Adil Hussain on why stars should back smaller films
In an interaction with India Today Digital, Hussain touched upon the struggles smaller films tend to face, adding that established stars have the power to help such stories reach a wider audience. He said, “I just saw a beautiful Tamil film called Kadaisi Vivasayi, and Vijay Sethupathi plays a very small part in that, but he is involved. So did Brad Pitt in a film called The Tree of Life. I just feel that our known stars, actors, could probably become a little more courageous and come into smaller films. Not only present them, but be part of them. If they can do that, it will change the whole landscape.”The actor further opened up about how choosing acting as a profession was never an easy topic to broach at home. Having grown up in Assam, he found there was simply no convincing his parents, which left him with no option but to take a drastic step. “I could not convince them at all. I had to just run away,” he recalled, adding that they eventually accepted it. “Not with a smiling face, but like, ‘Iska toh kuch nahi hone wala hai.‘ (He would not make it),” he added.
Adil Hussain once considered giving up acting for activism
There was a period, interestingly, when Hussain found himself unsure if acting carried any real meaning. Back in the mid-1990s, he even weighed whether becoming an activist could bring about a greater impact on society. He recalled, “In 1996, I went to my teacher and asked, ‘Why am I getting this name and fame? How does acting help society? Maybe I should become an activist or open an NGO.’ But he told me, ‘You are giving the audience one of the rarest gifts, which is empathy. You are helping people empathise with your characters. Even if you are playing a so-called bad role, people understand the backstory and begin treating others with more empathy.’ That stayed with me. I realised I have a very important role to play.”
Adil Hussain on why acting still gives his life meaning
Even now, Adil believes empathy remains the finest gift an actor can give an audience. He shared that even after decades in the industry, standing before the camera still feels like being fully present in the moment. “It has been one of the most beautiful journeys. I think I would do it again if I were born. I will do it again and again because I think I am one of the blessed souls on the planet. I am able to do what I really love to do. I can go without food. On top of that, I get money. Not that I get a lot of money, but at least I do. I get love from people, make friends across the world, and it gives my life meaning. It tells me why I am surviving, why I am living on this planet,” the actor said.He also spoke about the mounting pressure on actors and celebrities to weigh in on every social or political matter. While Adil acknowledged that such pressure does exist, he made it clear that he knows exactly what role he wants to play in society. The actor said he doesn’t view himself as a political activist, politician or social scientist, but rather as someone committed to the craft of acting and the broader purpose art serves. He further mentioned that he’s completely fine with people not seeing him as a political actor, saying, “I am not a political actor at all. I’m just an artist. I practise art through acting. I love the role of art in human society. I am trying to go deeper into it.”
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