Success works in different ways. Mirzapur gave Ali Fazal not only one of his biggest shows, but also the character Guddu Pandit that has become synonymous with him. In contrast, the wide acclaim for his latest series Raakh has given the actor exactly what he needed — the confidence that viewers will accept him in varied roles. “After Guddu, I wondered whether people would accept me in a different space. I needed this,” reflected Fazal.
In Prosit Roy’s crime thriller, the actor plays the “observant and patient” cop Jayprakash Jatav, a starkly different character from Guddu. That difference only prompted him to star in the Prime Video series, which is inspired by the 1978 Ranga-Billa case.
The actor’s next release is Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘Batwara 1947’, led by Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta
While Guddu will always remain a landmark in his career, Fazal said that he never wanted it to become his identity. He shared, “I never wanted my career to be defined by only one role, no matter how successful. If Guddu represents one side of my journey, then characters like Jayprakash represent another side. I’ve always wanted to move between different genres and worlds.”
For Fazal, the response to Raakh has been all the more satisfying as it reinforced his beliefs as an artiste. “I was told in different ways that I didn’t fit the mould. Sometimes it was about the films I was choosing, or my personality, or simply because I wasn’t following a formula that people believed worked. My journey has always been about choosing stories I believe in and trusting that they will eventually find their audience.”
Sept 4
When ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ will arrive in cinemas
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