Farhan Akhtar speaks about Indian actors working in foreign films and says, ‘We are seeing the change happening and I feel we should be grateful’
Farhan Akhtar recently made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with the Disney+ series Ms Marvel. On the show, Farhan plays Waleed, a member of the secret cult of Red Daggers, based in Karachi. Hollywood filmmakers The Russo Brothers were recently hosted by actor-director Farhan Akhtar and his partner Ritesh Sidhwani. The directors discussed their work, current trends in the Indian and international cinema industries, and the ability of streaming behemoths to spread material throughout the world.
Farhan, who recently had his international acting debut, discussed the topic of Indian actors going abroad. “Honestly, you are seeing the evolution yourself. How many actors or people from India were working in other parts of the world 10 or 15 years ago? You could count them on your fingertips. That has already changed. Irrfan was a great example, and Om Puri before him was another great example. Priyanka (Chopra) is doing exceedingly well and Alia (Bhatt) is also doing a film now (in Hollywood). So it is changing and I feel we have to be very grateful for this push for diversity that’s happening within storytelling in the west. That plays a huge role and that is immediately inclusive,”
Further mentioning his show Ms Marvel, the Toofan actor added, “And that’s something I truly loved about Ms. Marvel. That it’s about a Pakistani Muslim girl. To imagine that Marvel would be making a story with her, and at the center of it, is something very unique and new. And it was exciting to be a part of it.”
Concluding the topic, the actor-director said, “We are seeing the change happening and I am sure as time progresses we will see more cross-pollination between the two movie-making countries.” Meanwhile, Farhan is set to direct two films, one of them being Don 3 and the other being Jee Le Zaraa which stars the three biggest actresses Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, and Alia Bhatt.
