The Rising Son: Fahad Fazil

A disastrous debut and a silent exit from the scene - we thought he was yet another star kid smitten by showville. But the actor bounced back with vengeance. From a highly forgettable entry to being the superstar of Mollywood new-gen cinema, Fahad Fazil has come a long way. The actor is currently on a roll for the kudos coming his way since ‘22 Female Kottayam’ opened in cine-houses. Any actor will think twice before accepting the baleful villain in ‘22FK’ and Fahad says he too went through stages of indecision and confusion before signing the dotted line. “I was uncomfortable as I couldn’t connect to the character on a personal level. But then I started viewing Cyril as a medium through which I express my take on the whole thing. A man who dares to harm a woman and abuse her emotionally or physically should be punished in the most dreadful style,” he says.Fahad played the conniving, philandering urbanite in his last two outings, but the actor is least bothered about the risks of getting typecast. “I have no issues playing men with a tinge of grey. There is no question of self-repetition as the core of each character is different. They look alike only on a superficial level and their emotional realms are poles apart from each other. Arjun in ‘Chappa Kurishu’ is a man who doesn’t know how to handle himself whereas Cyril in ‘22FK’ is an absolute antihero with predatory instincts. Dr Arun in ‘Diamond Necklace’ is a breezy, fun-loving character who gets into some serious trouble.”The actor says playing a straight hero or grabbing maximum reel time are things he is not interested in. “I don’t want to be the hero, I am just an actor who is looking for the right space to perform. I didn’t conceive any of these projects, they came my way. What matters is the movie, not the star,” he says.‘Kaiyethum Doorathu’, his debut film, was a typical boy-meets-girl tale directed by his father and veteran director Fazil. The candyfloss romance met with a disastrous fate at the box office but Fahad believes that was all a teenager could do, especially for his home production. “It’s your interaction with life that brings forth the actor in you. I was barely 18 that time and I would not have done a better job if ‘Chappa Kurishu’ was offered to me then,” says Fahad.Though he has become the face of metro-centric and slightly offbeat new-gen films, Fahad says he harbours no ill-feeling for mainstream cinema. “If I like the script and the character offered to me is exciting enough, I will definitely give a big thumbs up. I have no prejudice or apprehension towards mainstream and I have never said that I will act in new-wave films only. I will not refuse a project just because it has a commercial format.” And how does he feel about being dubbed as Mollywood’s Emraan Hashmi post ‘Chappa Kurishu’ and ‘22FK’? “No comments,” he says. “I haven’t seen any of his films and I really can’t see any logic. But I am not proud of it and I don’t take it a compliment,” he winds up.