I don't act to get paid, I act because I love it: Adil Hussain

On a whirlwind trip to Kolkata, to dub for Arindam Sil's Har Har Byomkesh, Adil Hussain tells us how his itinerary often leaves him no time to even call his wife! But he still loves his bike rides, stage rehearsals and showing off his son's picture on his phone. Excerpts from a chat:
Artsy or commercial films, what's your poison?
See, I am doing all kinds of films.After completing Force 2 with John Abraham, I'll be doing a small film in Assam. So yes, I am lucky to be getting to do enough films, which enables me to pay the bill, and also subsidize my engagements with small films. I will do films as soon as one can come up with good scripts.And because of my love for small projects, I have to continuously work, otherwise I won't be able to balance my career. I make sure I do not get used to comfort -apart from the fact that when I am going out to shoot, I need a good place to sleep.Otherwise, I am just looking for good films. It could be commercial ones like Life Of Pi, which was a huge success or small contemporary out-ofthe-box projects.
You just finished dubbing for Arindam Sil's Har Har Byomkesh. Are you looking to work in Bengal more?
Yes, absolutely . In fact, I have just been offered another one, by Arindam Sil only . It's based on a story by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay. I forget the name of the story , but I loved it. (Arindam Sil later confirmed to us that it is a film based on Madam O Mahashay by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay)
Do you watch many Bengali movies?
Yes. See, I hardly get to read books because there are so many scripts. I have to make sure I do not do injustice to the people who are sending these in with so much expectations.So, much of my time is spent in going through bundles of scripts.But in between, like on flights, I take time out to watch movies. Currently like I am rewatching Tapan Sinha's films like Khudhito Pashan and Haate Bazare. And it would be controversial if I compare him to anybody , but if not above, he is on a par with the masters of world cinema. I mean, when you watch his movies, you don't think 'Bangla cinema, eto bhalo hoyechhe'. You don't have to make that concession of being a Bengali for him. He is good, and that's about it.
Do you think, fame came to you a little late in your career?
Well, I gave my first autograph when I was 17. I was so popular in Assam that it's not funny . I have seen how it feels to be popular when I was just a teenager. Kids have repeated my dialogues in front of me. This was when I was into stand-up comedy . When I took to theatre seriously , I saw how intensely I was appreciated, not only by the audience but also by critics.So, that is not new for me. Yet, Indian audience is just getting to know me.Like my wife tells me, `Why are they saying you are good? You have always been good!' You know, because they do not know me. And it's not their fault, nor is it mine. I never stopped acting. Only the space has changed.
What role does theatre play in your career?
It has become a career. I never looked at it as a career. It is my love. Much more than my wife and my son. I mean, when I met her, I told her, I met the stage when I was five and I have met you just now. So don't even try to compete. But then, she is in love with acting as well. So she understands that. I will be dead if I don't act.Stage-wise, I am doing just one play since the last three years. It is a very intimate play , but very intense also.It's a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. Theatre is where I practise my art, film is where I get paid for it.
We have had many stalwarts from theatre adorn the film world, including yourself. So, do you think, the stage somehow acts as a training ground for actors?
Most good actors, ones you would recognize as good actors, are from theatre. When you do theatre, you have to work really hard to create a vivid world of the character. And you live that world every day . You see, for films like Gandhi, Ben Kingsley took two years to prepare, and he got paid for the entire two years, so he doesn't have to get out and take up another assignment and he can totally concentrate on Gandhi. We don't get to do that anymore in films. There's time constraint, and then there's the budget issue. When I am not doing theatre, I miss living that life. Theatre shortens my work corpus but it also gives me insights about life.
You had Naseeruddin Shah as a teacher in NSD. When you finally made the transition to Bollywood, how did he react?
I would call Naseer saab a trailblazer. Because of people like him, actors like me, who do not belong to the typical Bollywood mould, have been able to set foot here. Because these people had already made the space for us. First time, when I acted with him in Ishqiya, it was the first day, first shot and my character was to shoot Naseer saab's. And, of course, it was awkward for me. So I said, 'Naseer saab, main kaise...?' and he said, `Shoot the b*****d man, shoot the b*****d.' He is definitely one of the most passionate teachers I have ever met -so passionate that he is willing to learn from his students.
Tell us about the time you did standup comedy.
It was the earliest phase of my career, from 1982-1989. Our idols were Bhanu Banerjee and Robi Ghosh. We were four people on stage. The team leader had a razorsharp sense of humour. He had a deep understanding of philosophy , politics, criticism... He also had a fantastic imagination and he would create situations so cynical yet extremely funny . He was my first mentor. I remember, once we got invited to perform in a village. While we were going there, I asked him how much we were being paid. At that point, we used to charge something around Rs 11,000, which was huge. So, when he replied, Rs 300, I was like, `What? Ote to gari bharao hobe na.' He told me, we would make money somewhere else. But I kept asking him why we took up the job when we could have made so much more money at some other place.That is when he asked me, `Why did you take up stand-up comedy? To earn money? Or to talk about society?' Of course, I answered the latter.And his only reaction was, 'Then?' He made me understand that we got money because we were lucky . That, still, is my philosophy . I do not act because I get paid. I might get paid because I act, but I won't stop acting if I don't.
Lastly, what are your upcoming projects?
There are lots of it actually . There's Amrika, which won the best audience award in Sundance Festival.Then there's Tigers, which is directed by Oscar winner Danis Tanovic. We have Parched by Leena Yadav and Sunrise by Partho Sengupta. Then there's this Assamese film, Kotha Nodi, which is an official selection for the Busan Film Festival and the London International Film Festival.