Fahadh Faasil on Maareesan, Kamal Haasan & His Barcelona Dream | Vishal Menon | InFocus | THR India

In this exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, acclaimed Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil sits down with Vishal Menon to discuss his latest film Maareesan and his remarkable journey in cinema. Fahadh opens up about his theatrical Tamil movie experiences, from bunking school to watch Rajinikanth’s Baasha to working alongside legends like Kamal Haasan and Vijay Sethupathi. He shares intimate details about his creative process, including how he approaches different characters across languages and his method of shooting films in chronological order.

From his early memories of visiting Raja sir’s studio as a child to his collaboration with directors like Mari Selvaraj and Anwar Rasheed, Fahadh provides fascinating insights into his craft and evolution as an actor. Vishal and Fahadh discuss his decision to use a basic phone instead of a smartphone, his approach to balancing work and personal life, and his thoughts on the responsibility that comes with cinema.

The conversation touches on his memorable performances in films like Kumbalangi Nights, Trance, and Super Deluxe, while exploring his philosophy on filmmaking and his dreams beyond acting – including his whimsical aspiration to become an Uber driver in Barcelona. With his upcoming film releases, this intimate conversation offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of contemporary Indian cinema’s finest performers.

0:00 Fahadh discusses dependence on cinematography experts
3:02 First theatrical Tamil film experience watching Basha
4:03 Working relationship and bond with co-star discussed
6:45 Seeking fun as integral part of filmmaking
9:04 Difficulty of comedy in non-native Tamil language
11:32 Discussing Carbon character and monkey scene challenges
13:28 Delivering story excitement from initial film narration
16:04 Visualizing movie while hearing script narration process
18:00 Picking quirks from real people for characters
21:04 Working with Kamal Haasan and learning techniques
24:04 Shooting films chronologically for better actor comfort
27:12 Music collaboration with Yuvan Shankar Raja discussed
30:05 Preference for small creative Tamil film spaces
34:26 Being constantly aware of standing in business
37:29 Predicting success based on careful script selection
41:01 Using dumb phone and avoiding social media
44:04 Character relatability versus alien character portrayal challenges
48:01 Playing darkest selfish character in Artist film
52:38 Building house with wife for five years
53:28 IMDb Watchlist segment

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