Aditya Rawal, son of the veteran actor Paresh Rawal, is playing the role of the terrorist Nibras in Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz. The film is a hostage drama about a terrorist taking a number of people hostage at an eatery. Aditya agreed that playing a character who belongs to another religion, in the case Islam, can be risky and one should ensure that the research is in place.
In a chat with Mid-Day, the young actor said, “There is a risk in depicting a religion that you don’t belong to. So, Hansal sir roped in the film’s associate writer, Ekhlaq Ahmed Khan, for workshops. [He taught us] how to recite suras, understand some facets of the religion, and how the same point can be interpreted in two ways, which is also what the film is about.”
Aditya credits Hansal Mehta for his mature handling of such a sensitive subject. “From our first meeting, Hansal sir and I sensed the direction we wanted to take for Nibras,” he said. “A lot of radicalised youngsters are vulnerable, lonely and get [influenced by] the wrong kind of people. They are intelligent, driven boys who could have become world leaders. Instead, they were taken down this dark path.”
Faraaz is based on the terror attack that took place in Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery in 2016. The film also stars Shashi Kapoor’s grandson Zahan Kapoor along with Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali and Pallak Lalwani. The movie is all set to release in theatres on February 3.
