Ali Fazal on ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Fukrey’ Days, Meeting Tom Cruise & South Asian Representation | Spotlight

Variety India casts the Spotlight on Ali Fazal with a wide-ranging conversation that moves from his “Fukrey” days to his foray into Hollywood through a “bathroom-phone-call” moment that landed him a part opposite Dame Judi Dench in “Victoria & Abdul” and a fanboy encounter with Al Pacino at the “The Irishman” premiere he still can't quite believe. In this exclusive interview, Ali Fazal opens up on the discipline he took from science and sport, why he's had to become “a little more shameless" about approaching directors and the one piece of advice he'd give any young actor: Get your finances in order. He revisits Stephen Frears' now-famous note to him on set — "I've cast you, now do your job" — and the freedom it unlocked when acting opposite Dame Judi Dench. He also talks about doing “Death on the Nile” with Kenneth Branagh, refusing the "stereotypical brown boy" casting and why he chose to keep his base in India even as the global work grew. On “Fukrey”, he shares his fondest memory about how he "got a wife out of that", and how meeting Richa Chadha there began a partnership that now includes their production house, Pushing Buttons Studios, and the Sundance-winning film “Girls Will Be Girls” that became their debut production. He further remarks on how Shah Rukh Khan's “Jawan” and Tom Cruise's “Mission: Impossible” reopened theatres for everyone, why Priyanka Chopra remains a real inspiration, when “Mirzapur” became a cult beast and what's coming next: “Mirzapur: The Movie,” “Batwara 1947” alongside Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Shabana Azmi and a fun international project he's about to announce. ▶ Subscribe to Variety India for exclusive, in-depth conversations with the biggest names in global cinema. 👍 Like this video if you love Ali Fazal's work. 💬 What's your favourite Ali Fazal role? Tell us below. Credits Editor-in-Chief: Sarita A Tanwar Group Publisher: Gautam Thakker Managing Editor: Tushar Joshi Executive Producer: Pooja Thakker Video Entertainment Editor: Jinal Bhatt Video Production: Everymedia Technologies Creative Director: Abhijit Vedpaathak Photographer: Ninad Redkar Videographer: Tejas Pednekar, Amit Gogavle and Pratham Jotaniya Video Post-Production: Everymedia Technologies Pvt Ltd Lead Video Editor: Sanjana Bhalerao Video Editor: Vatsal Doshi Timestamps: 00:00 Ali Fazal: My English Bloody Well Be Good!' 01:13 Ali Fazal On His Craft 02:35 Ali Fazal's Advice: 'Get Your Finances In Order' 03:07 Why Ali Fazal Has Become 'A Little More Shameless' 06:11 Ali Fazal On Opening The Door With 'Victoria & Abdul' 07:53 The Bathroom Phone Call That Changed Ali Fazal's Career 08:42 Working with Judi Dench & Stephen Frears 09:51 Why Ali Fazal Chose To Stay In India While Going Global 11:28 How Hollywood Now Sees Indian Actors, Per Ali Fazal 13:01 Ali Fazal On Refusing The 'Stereotypical Brown Boy' Role 13:51 'Death On The Nile', Blind Casting and Non-Indian Sets 16:04 What Ali Fazal Is Hungry For Now As An Actor 17:09 Ali Fazal On His Fondest Memory Of Making 'Fukrey' 18:19 Ali Fazal On Richa Chadha: 'Got A Wife Out Of Fukrey' 19:05 Ali Fazal On Backing Indie Cinema As A Producer 20:16 How OTT And Theatre Are Finding Balance, Per Ali Fazal 22:53 Ali Fazal On SRK's 'Jawan' & Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ Reopening Theatres 24:20 Ali Fazal On Meeting Al Pacino At 'The Irishman' Premiere 26:31 Ali Fazal On His Gillian Anderson Interview 27:01 What Hollywood Actors Actually Ask Ali Fazal About India 28:04 Ali Fazal On Priyanka Chopra: 'That Is True Inspiration' 28:57 Ali Fazal On When ‘Mirzapur’ Became A Cult Beast 31:11 Ali Fazal on producing 'Girls Will Be Girls' 32:46 What's Next For Ali Fazal: 'Mirzapur: The Movie’ and ‘Batwara 1947’ #AliFazal #Mirzapur #Fukrey #VictoriaAndAbdul #RichaChadha #DeathOnTheNile #AliFazalInterview #GirlsWillBeGirls #Mirza #JudiDench #GudduPandit #AlPacino #VarietyIndia #PushingButtonsStudios #Bollywood #Hollywood #IndianActors #ActingJourney #FilmIndustry #ActorLife #GlobalCinema #OTT #CinemaTrends #DiversityInFilm #BehindTheScenes #MovieTalk #FilmDiscussion #Fast&Furious #GirlsWillBeGirls Check out below links and follow for more: YouTube: @varietyindia Instagram:   / varietyindia   X (Twitter): https://x.com/varietyindia Facebook:   / varietyindiaofficial   Threads: https://www.threads.com/@varietyindia LinkedIn:   / variety-india