Almost 13 years after his supporting role in I Hate Luv Storys (2010), Aamir Ali returned to movies with Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz. In the drama that retells the 2016 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan bakery in Dhaka, the actor plays the father of a young girl who is taken hostage. Since the role demanded him to delve into a new space, Ali was initially reluctant.

“I remember Hansal sir told me, ‘You’re posting pictures in a bathrobe [on Instagram], and here, I want you to explore yourself as an actor.’ Initially, I was hesitant as I have never done such a role. I then [rationalised] that Anupam Kher had played a father early on in his career, so I could do, too,” says the actor.

Ali, a frequent face on television, is now looking forward to Jai Mehta’s Lootere, which traces the story of an Indian ship hijacked in Somalian waters. He counts himself lucky to have worked with the father-son director duo in the same year. Does Jai have the same approach to storytelling as his filmmaker-father? “Jai’s [vision] is slightly larger than life. He has a bit of Hansal sir in him. But he has [mounted] Lootere on a large canvas.”