Earlier this year, actor Ali Fazal confirmed that he is not a part of Fukrey 3 — a decision he calls his “biggest regret so far”. But, this isn’t the only film he had to turn down.

He tells us, “There was a project being helmed by Homi Adajania, one of my favourite directors. I’ve been a big fan of his work, but I couldn’t be a part of what he was making.”

The actor, who has made a mark in the West with projects Victoria & Abdul (2017), Death on the Nile (2022) and the recently release Kandahar — co-starring Gerard Butler — adds, “Half my time goes in Hollywood and the remaining I spend in India. It becomes a bit of a struggle when you’re alone, trying to dabble with these two industries. I wish I had a reference point... Maybe I should take advice from Priyanka Chopra (Jonas, actor)!”

Jonas, who he looks up to, has in the past spoken about struggling with the perception that she’d cater only to the south Asian audience and people outside of the diaspora may not be interested in watching her. Has he faced a similar struggle? The 36-year-old says it is the “obvious first thought” one would have when entering a new industry. “But, with time, the industry [in the West] has started to realize [that we can interest a larger audience] and evolve accordingly,” he says.

In fact, his character in Kandahar is quite fluid. “You won’t be able to tell if he’s from India or the subcontinent. He speaks four languages. That character could be anything. I’m glad these kind of characters are being written and I’m getting to play them,” says Fazal, who will be seen next in Vishal Bhardwaj’s OTT film, Khufiya.