Ali Fazal has made a mark not only in Bollywood, but also in Hollywood. The actor impressed all with his cameo in Furious 7, after which he gained popularity in the West on landing Victoria And Abdul alongside Dame Judi Dench. With his next international release, Death on the Nile, around the corner, the actor has already been roped in for the lead part in Code Name Johnny Walker, based on the bestseller by the same name. As the actor rings in his 34th birthday today, here's a look at his achievements:
One of the youngest Indian Academy members
Fazal was one of the youngest members of the Academy from India. In 2018, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences extended an invitation to 928 artistes to be part of the Oscars membership. Fazal was the youngest Indian on the list that year alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Tabu, Anil Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit, amongst others. In an interview, Fazal said, "I feel exhilarated, honoured and humbled to be included in that list of beautiful people.cinema is the key to unite people from all over the world. The academy is a standing example of that and I hope I serve well in the forthcoming years of entertainment."
First Indian to land a titular role in an international film
With the conversation around lack of representation intensifying in the West, it was a landmark move for the makers of Victoria and Abdul to cast Ali in a titular role for the film. It was a first for any Indian actor. Ali had remarked in an interview that the sheer representation opened doors for writers to look at talent in India. He had said in an interview during the promotions, "With Victoria and Abdul, we finally broke the stigma around an Indian artist to get a lead role in a Hollywood movie. Indian cinema is out there now, on the world stage."
First Indian to bag a biopic in the West
Codename Johnny Walker, his next, is written by Alan Wenkus, the former writer of famed chat show - The Tonight Show and Straight Outta Compton - for which he got an Academy Nomination. It's the first time that an Indian artiste will be playing the lead in a western biopic.
He's surrounded by legends
The one solid yardstick of Ali's success is the fact that the actor has been surrounded by great talent throughout his career in the West. From working with the Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench and the Academy nominee Stephen Frears in Victoria and Abdul to working with the talented Kenneth Branagh (who has multiple Academy nominations to his name) to even working with Wenkus, who has written the screenplay of his next, the actor keeps the company of great artistes and aspires to better his craft everyday learning from the masters themselves.
Named as the top 10 actors to watch out for
In a 2017 yearly list close on the heels of Victoria and Abdul's release, Ali was seen as one of the actors to watch out for by the popular Variety Magazine in the US. The actor was named alongside Timothee Chalamet, Kiersey Clemons, Daveed Diggs, Kumail Nanjiani, Grace Van Patte amongst others. The past awardees of this honour have names like the Oscar-winning actresses Lupita N'yongo and Viola Davis.
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