Adil Hussain reveals how Ali El Arabi's skills in kickboxing help him in filmmaking
Mumbai, June 30
Actor Adil Hussain, whose film '52 Blue' is set to be screened at the upcoming edition of the London Indian Film Festival, has heaped praise on the director of the film Ali El Arabi.
Ali El Arabi is professionally involved in kickboxing, and has also won Egypt's national kickboxing championship.
The actor spoke with IANS recently, and shared how Ali's combat skills trickle down into filmmaking.
He told IANS, "His continuous improvisation of how to tell the story started by first thinking of a tiny part of the story. He just conceived then he shot that first. And then he built up the whole story. So he's continuously improvising. In kickboxing, you have to continuously improvise. You are in the moment, and you are assessing, reading, and taking action. Without being present in the moment, you can't do that".
He further mentioned, "It compels you to be in the moment, not in your intellectually thinking mind. You're not taking a strategic decision by thinking about it. You are seeing it, taking the decision, enacting the decision, and facing the consequence, and enacting another decision you're taking. So that always becomes a sort of your mode of conduct, mode of functioning, which I have experienced while working with him".
"Any problem arises in the set, he would improvise, and would go like, 'Okay, if this is not happening, we can do this. If it's not happening, we can do this'. So that is a very rare quality amongst any director that I have done work with", he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Ali El Arabi sounds like a versatile artist. The way he builds stories step-by-step, improvising like in a match, is refreshing. Hope his film '52 Blue' gets a good audience at the festival.
This is a brilliant lesson for all filmmakers. Thinking on your feet and being spontaneous is crucial, be it in martial arts or on a film set. Adil Hussain's praise speaks volumes about Ali El Arabi's approach.
While the comparison is unique, I wonder if this approach can work for all kinds of stories. Not every film requires improvisation. But it's good to see directors bringing diverse life experiences into their craft. 😊
Adil Hussain is a gem of an actor. His insights into Ali El Arabi's methods are fascinating. The idea of being "present in the moment" rather than overthinking is something we all need to practice. Best of luck for '52 Blue'!
Nice to see such synergy between an actor and director. Ali El Arabi's kickboxing background seems to have given him a unique problem-solving mindset. But I wish the article had more about the film's storyline itself.
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