When Hollywood’s on pause, hit play on Bollywood

Ali Fazal

The bad news is that the Writers Guild of America strike, which took place between May and September 2023, halted Ali Fazal's productions in Hollywood. The good news is that it opened up his schedule and gave him the opportunity to be part of many Bollywood projects. The actor is now looking forward to the release of his offerings that include the third season of Mirzapur, Metro In Dino, Thug Life alongside Kamal Hassan, and Lahore 1947.

Anurag Basu and Rajkumar Santoshi

Only days after the trailer of Mirzapur 3 was released, Fazal says that following last year's setback, 2024 has become one of the best years of his career. "This year has turned out to be quite extraordinary for me, despite the global writers' strike. I had to take a break from international work. But I'm thrilled to be part of Anurag sir's film, Mani Ratnam sir's Thug Life, as well as Lahore 1947. It gave me a chance to explore a variety of roles in a short time," shares the actor. While Metro In Dino has an ensemble cast that includes Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Fatima Sana Shaikh, Rajkumar Santoshi's film will see him share screen space with Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta.

Fazal's pursuit for novel stories was also rewarded earlier this year when his maiden production Girls Will Be Girls bagged two awards at the Sundance Film Festival. "We've also announced five other projects. Our idea is to nurture new talents and ourselves. This is also a time where we are nurturing our personal lives," beams the actor, who is expecting his first child with actor-wife Richa Chadha.