Filming of ‘Kandahar’ in Al-Ula ‘Pleasant Experience’: Ali Fazal

Life is so strange. Decades ago, Indian actor Ali Fazal was a young man who spent every summer in Saudi Arabia with his family and dreamed of one day acting in a Hollywood film in this faraway place.

Little did he know that one day he would be playing the lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster filmed in the very country where he grew up.

‘Kandahar’ is the first international film to be shot in the historical region of Al-Ula in Saudi Arabia and also stars today’s leading action hero Gerard Butler.

Ali Fazl told Arab News that it was a pleasant surprise. I never thought that I would be shooting a film in Saudi Arabia where I spent so much of my childhood.’

‘Filming anything on Saudi soil was unheard of for so long but it’s a beautiful realization of how times change,’ he says.

“It was one of the happiest experiences of my career,” he added. The people of Saudi Arabia are very enthusiastic. I thought I knew this country, but I have never seen a place like Al-Ula in my life. It’s a wonderful place and it’s been a pleasure to call it home for these three months.’

Ali Fazal felt at home here in many ways.

He is the Bollywood actor after Irrfan Khan who has acted in the most Hollywood films including ‘Furious Seven’, ‘Victoria and Abdul’, ‘Death on the Nile’ and the action series on Amazon. ‘Mirzapur’ included.

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Ali Fazl says, ‘I reached Al-Ula 25 days before the rest of the cast to learn how to ride a motorcycle in this completely different setting. I’m chasing Jerry Butler for most of the film and even though I knew how to ride a bike, riding a bike in the desert is a whole new game.’

Ali Fazal and Butler are bitter rivals on screen but they were spotted together at every meal at Al Ala’s Banyan Tree Resort.

He learned a lot by working in large international projects. Whenever Ali Fazal works with great actors like Gerard Butler, Judi Dench, Stephen Frears and Kenneth, he personally learns from them how to become a better actor and a better person.

‘I keep thinking about a moment I had with Kenneth. The night before the Oscar nominations were announced we were all gathered and celebrating at the British Museum after the premiere of ‘Death on the Nile’ but he (Kenneth) was sitting in the corner writing his next stage play. This is their dedication. He invests time in work. The next morning he was nominated for seven Oscars.’

Reflecting on these moments, Ali admits that they have also made it difficult to accept offers for many projects that lack such material and commitment. As a result, he has become more mature and wary of the Bollywood limelight even though he knows he is holding back from becoming the level of celebrity that some of his peers have reached. .

According to him: ‘I run away from the arrogant self-importance that surrounds Bollywood. I don’t judge people but there is such a system. The film can be huge in India and the rest of India is showing it now.’

“If you go south, we have some of the best films in the world coming from Malayalam cinema and Tamil cinema, and both the Oscars and Cannes, for example, are taking notice.”

Ali Fazal wants to step up his game, but he also wants to identify and raise awareness of the types of artists and actors who are working but not yet recognized.

‘I want to be restless. I want to feel something I’ve never felt before. Great vision pushes you to places you’ve never been, and then something new emerges. This is what I love, this is where I find my greatest joy.’