KOLKATA: Actor Adil Hussain, who has worked in regional, Bollywood as well as international films, finds some of the regional films really good. He says because of such films actors like him are getting to portray good roles.

Hussain was busy with the shoot of the upcoming Bengali film Abyakto which was going on at Belgachia Rajbari in Kolkata. In between, we caught up with the actor for a quick interview.

He is playing the role of Rudra in Abyakto, which is produced by Tarun Das and directed by Arjunn Dutta.

So, what made him give his nod to the film? He said, “Because through this film, the director and writer of the story, Arjunn Dutta, is trying to talk about subject about which we rarely talk in our society.”

Asked about his opinion on current Bengali cinema and the Bengali films that he has watched recently, he said, “I recently watched Suman Mukherjee’s Asamapta. I watched Shabdo; Ritwik (Chakraborty) has acted really well in it. It’s a very well directed film also. I also watched Asha Jaoar Majhe; I think that’s a beautiful film.”

“I think in India, Bangla, Marathi and some of the Hindi films are being made really well these days and that is very good for me as actors like us are getting good subjects and characters. So, I am very lucky,” added the actor.

Adil has acted in international films like The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Life of Pi; Hindi films like Kaminey, Ishqiya, English Vinglish and Bengali films like Iti Srikanta, Har Har Byomkesh. He has also been part of Assamese, Tamil and Marathi films.

When asked if it is a conscious decision to juggle between so many industries to satisfy himself as an actor, he said, “No, my conscious decision is not about going to different industries. My conscious decision is about doing good scripts. So that can come from France or Norway or it can come from West Bengal, or Assam or even Meghalaya. I am just going there (Meghalaya) on first of June. I am starting an actors’ workshop there and I might also end up acting in that film if I like the director and atmosphere. I have forgotten the name of the film but it’s a Khasi name.”

What do you think of Adil Hussain?

So, on what basis he chooses his roles?

“First of all, it has to be a good script. It should be a good story and the story must have layers, complexities that I have not done before. It may be a father-son story, now there could be thousands of father-son stories so there has to be some aspects in the story that I have not done before. So, I say yes to a film if it is well written and trustworthy. Also, the character they want me to do has to have depth…like, do I get to explore myself (as an actor).”

“These are the criteria. There is no such other criterion. Of course, they should pay my airfare at least, put me up in a hotel and if they have money that is wonderful (laughs).”

Besides Hussain, Abyakto features Arpita Chatterjee, Anubhav Kanjilal, Anirban Ghosh, Kheya Chattopadhyay, Debjani Chatterjee, Lily Chakraborty and Pinky Banerjee. The release date of the film is yet to be decided.