Bollywood Shares Responsibility for Racism: Adil Hussain

GUWAHATI: Reacting to the racism perpetrated against people from northeast India, internationally acclaimed actor Adil Hussain who hails from Assam held Bollywood and the mainstream media responsible to some extent for this continuing discrimination.

“It’s extremely disappointing to say to the least. It’s sad, heart wrenching to see when people from different parts of the country… Quite a lot of people and incidents of discrimination against people from Northeast.”

“Northeast hasn’t been really portrayed in the mainstream media, in films and television much. I would hold Bollywood responsible and also myself responsible. People who make films and series should be held responsible at the national level… for not representing those faces from Northeast,” the Life of Pi actor told the public.

He added that Bollywood and a section of films only try to sell fear, instead of focusing on the other side of life.

People from the northeastern region have always been at the receiving end of racism in most parts of the country. Even in the wake of the COVID19 outbreak students from northeast states had to face discrimination because of their appearance, in New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad among other cities.

Talking further about his roles, the Goalpara born actor said that among all the characters he has played, Mukti Bhawan in Hotel Salvation is the role he relates with the most.

“All the characters have certain elements of Adil… I quite often draw from my personal experiences. But the most, I would say Mukti Bhaban in a way.

“I feel very deeply intrigued by death, also I had a relationship with my dad that wasn’t very easy, though it wasn’t difficult… He and I always had a problem… you know this male male thing… Anyway, I won’t go there now, it’s a long conversation,” said Hussain in a live online interaction with fans.

Hotel Salvation directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani is one of the most talked about films in the last several years. It bagged a National Award as well as a number of prestigious awards across the globe, including the UNESCO Gandhi Medal and Best Film at the Busan International Film Festival.

The film depicts a relationship between father and son. The son is forced to set his job aside to accompany his elderly father to the holy city of Varanasi in his last days.

Hussain, known for playing some of the most acclaimed characters in recent times, also shared the names of the series he has been watching during the lockdown.

“I have a hard drive with films from 1936 which were curated by one of my teachers. The condition was that he would watch the films at least two to three times. And if he loved it the third time which has after-taste remains, he would put it in the hard drive. I’m watching these. There are 200 such films.

“Among web series, I have finished watching Loudest Voice, Succession, Fauda… which is very disturbing. I was waiting for Messiah, I really enjoyed it,” he added.

In 2018 Hussain won a Norwegian Amanda Award for best actor, for his role in the Norwegian film What Will People Say, a first for an Indian actor.

Asked who he would like to act beside, Hussain named Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley… “among others”.