Having done several Indian and international projects to carve a niche for himself as an actor, Ali Fazal is set to become the first mainstream Indian actor to make his off-Broadway debut, in New York City (USA), we have exclusively learnt. An excited Fazal says, “It’s a dream come true. I’m thrilled to embark on this new journey.”

While he has done theatre work before, the 36-year-old will make his off-Broadway debut in an adaptation of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. The play will be directed by Alexander Malichnikov and has a limited run of four weeks. “It’s an adaptation of the iconic play written at the end of the 19th century. You always see an adapted version of it and that’s the beauty of Chekhov; you can adapt it to whichever time [period] you are in,” explains the actor, who will begin rehearsals in October.

What makes this “special yet challenging” is the fact that the Kandahar actor is returning to the stage after an extended gap. However, he sees it as an “opportunity to break stereotypes”.

He says, “Cinema spoils you sometimes. People keep putting you in boxes and somebody else decides our fate. I remember there were so many attempts to stereotype me, but I always try to break out of those. So, if this (doing an off-Broadway play) helps me break a stereotype, why not?”

Ask if this will shape his career trajectory and Fazal says, “I don’t know how it will shape the rest of my career. But, it’s one thing I want to check off my list.”