Art & Entertainment

Farhan Akhtar

We've witnessed his acting skills in <i>Rock On</i> and <i>Luck by Chance</i>; now his debut film as an actor, <i>Fakir of Venice</i>, is being released in India

Advertisement

Farhan Akhtar
info_icon
What took Fakir so long to be released?

I don’t really know. It was finished after Don, that was in ’07 Jan/Feb, but the director Anand Surapur was doing the festival circuit with it.

You hadn’t shown any inclination to act earlier, so why this film?

Surapur (the director) is a dear friend and I liked his script. It’s very powerful and touches upon weaknesses and confusions in all human beings.

Did it make you realise you were an actor?

I realised the choices I made as an actor were seemingly ok, they were not jarring in the film. I had believed in the film for the right reasons.

Advertisement

Your sister Zoya said she initially didn’t think of casting you in Luck by Chance because you didn’t want to act?

Yes, I really didn’t think about acting. I was very happy directing. So I was producing her film, meeting actors, and pitching her film to them.

Your reaction when you faced the camera.

(Laughs) It felt a bit weird at first but then you realise you’re doing a job and you do it.

Did you like the finished product?

I was very happy with the film. But I find it difficult to clinically see my own performance in it because I was so close to it.

Advertisement

Is Fakir an English language film?

There’s a smattering of English and Hindi.

But who is the film’s target audience?

It’s a world audience. Which is why he’s doing the festival round. He wants to promote it there and get an international release. In fact, the review in Hollywood Reporter after the screening at the LA Film festival is fantastic.

You play a conman in the film. Right?

Yes, but more than a conman, I play an extremely self-centred production coordinator who wants to make an easy buck.

How challenging was this role?

It wasn’t the simplest of tasks. The language primarily...I’m extremely rude and I found that difficult to do initially, be abusive.

Tags

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement

    Advertisement