Adil Hussain, 52, is born as a Muslim, but believes in an inner spirit practising meditation at home. His full name is Khandkar (meaning tutors) Mohammed Adil Hussain, named after his ancestors who were private tutors to the emperors. He lives in Delhi in Greater Kailash I, in a house that is next to a forest and does not move to Mumbai as he cannot afford a similar house here. He is calm, loyal and honest with high empathy for others and much like the meaning of his name 'Adil' that means 'the just one', he gets angry and irritated when he sees things going wrong around him. Nothing can make Adil change his mind on a film other than the script, which has led him to work with some of the greatest directors, be it Ang Lee (Life of Pi) or Gauri Shinde (English Vinglish). In Prawaal Raman's upcoming thriller Main Aur Charles, Adil portrays the character of Amod Kant, the extremely well-known and honest investigating officer who was responsible for Charles spending 11 additional years in jail post his famous 1986 jail-break. He talks to Bombay Times about his love for Randeep Hooda, his respect for Amod Kant and why Irrfan is the best actor in India today. Excerpts:

Talk about your journey of becoming an actor?
I come from a town of Assam called Goalpara. I realised how beautiful it is only after I came to Delhi as my house in Goalpara was on the river Brahmaputra next to a hill. Assam has a culture of theatre where in every village, people do theatre. I started acting (both in English and Assamese) from when I was seven and would participate in my school plays every year. It was when I was in Class VIII that I decided that I wanted to be an actor. While getting recognition is what actors work for, actually the most important part of acting for me was how I enjoyed acting. My father was a headmaster of a high secondary school and could not afford to pay for my learning to act. But then, I came to know about NSD, possibly the only institution in the world that pays you to learn. Funded by the Central government, they not only pay for your education and expenses but also pay you some money while you are there. That's how people from my background could come and study there, otherwise we would not have been able to do that. I was already doing regional television and films at the age of 17, post which I joined NSD, so I gave my first autograph when I was 17. Post NSD, I got a scholarship to learn acting in England, post which I returned to India to train again for nine years before I did my first play In Othello with my teacher Barry John. The play was made into a film that was just released in Europe for the festivals. I then got my first big Hindi break in Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya, in which I played Vidya Balan's husband.

Who do you love the most in the world?
My mentor since past 15 years Dilip Shankar (who is also an international casting director who cast me in Life of Pi). I lost my father a few years ago, but Dilip is more than a father to me. He is my guide and made me come out of all my difficult times. I am sitting here because of him not just because he cast me in his films, but he has been responsible for my emotional and spiritual growth.

What does Dilip Shankar like the most in you?
I guess, that I am a good obedient student and that I take instructions without judging why the person is asking me to do what he is.

Which was the lowest period emotionally he helped you get out of?
I think 1998 was both my lowest or you could say my highest period. I met and fell in love with this woman in Amsterdam while I was studying there, who was half Dutch and half Indian. I was planning to move to India to train in acting with my teacher in a place that did not have electricity or running water. I knew it would be difficult for her to stay with me in such conditions but she insisted and we moved to India. She brought out the worst in me and while till then I had been this nice, friendly and helpful guy who never shouted at anybody ever, I got introduced and exposed to my other side, the mad, angry side. And while I am grateful to her for showing me that side of me that nobody likes of themselves, I went through an emotional turmoil to the point of almost losing my mind. That's when I met Dilip Shankar.

Your wife Kristen Jain too is half Indian. What makes you fall in love with half Indians?
Yes, my wife Kristen is half Jain and half American. I realised much later that I am a mixed Indian myself as my maternal grandfather was from Iraq and maternal grandmother, a mix of Assamese, English and Italian so may be somewhere that explains my attraction to women who were half Indians.

Who do you regard as the best actor in India?
I love Irrfan a lot as he has found his way to act that is likeable as well. I also think Richa Chadha is a very fine actor.

Do you have friends in the film industry?
Prawaal Raman and Gauri Shinde are dear friends. Randeep Hooda is a friend who would stand by me. He is very honest and upfront and says what he feels within. He is not like me and would not care what people would think about it. That's an important quality as an actor, as a good actor is about being clean. He's a very good and sensitive actor. And I think what he likes about me is how I can be so chilled about things including the fact that I don't even have a PR in today's day and age.

Given that you are a purist and choose your scripts carefully, what made you play the role of Amod Kant in Main Aur Charles?
I love films like Paan Singh Tomar and English Vinglish that are real and beautiful and yet include all kinds of people without just being limited to being festival films. Main Aur Charles for me is also that kind of film. While it is about the enigmatic and manipulative person like Charles Sobhraj, it has my character of Amod Kant that is a full-fledged role of a man who was responsible for putting Charles in jail for additional 11 years post his 1986 jail break, without which he would have been out in just two years. I have met Amod Kant in real life and I love the conviction he has to do whatever he does. He is the most honest man I have ever met. He is just like my father who would not ever take even 50 paise extra for anything and who always taught me only one thing, how never to lose your integrity for money. He would always say,  'No matter what you do but if you are my son, follow this.' I love Amod Kant's integrity, his conviction, his responsibility to society that is so inspiring and rare these days.

Having studied the life of Charles Sobhraj through this film, what is the most fascinating quality about him?
What amazes me the most about Charles Sobhraj is how just like Hitler who believed that killing 6 million Jews was alright, Charles too believed that what he did was correct.

Richa Chadha's easy going attitude off screen belies the versatility and intensity of the characters that she portrays on screen. In a chat with Bombay Times, she talks about her upcoming crime thriller Main Aur Charles, how she managed to play a role that is a far cry from her real-life persona and why she has become smarter over the years.

How much did you know about Charles Sobhraj before you signed the film?
Earlier, I had only heard of him. I had seen him on a television show about criminals of the century. Charles was active in the late 80s, so there was no way I could have followed his graph as a criminal at that time. I tried to research about him on the internet but surprisingly, there is not much about him online. There aren't too many documentaries on him as he controls the rights to his own story. But this movie is mainly about Adil Hussain's character, Amod Kant, and the story is based on his charge sheet, which is a public thing.

What kind of research did you do for your role?
I play Mira, a lawyer in the film, who falls head over heels in love with Charles. It's a very deep love on her part. I didn't have to do too much research for the role. But I knew the journey of Charles' character. He is an intelligent man, almost a genius. He is somebody with great people skills. He can manipulate others and get them to do what he wants. The film is about the relationship of Charles with other characters and how they are affected. So that was the part I was more interested in and I looked into that.

Personally, would you ever fall for a man like Charles?
I don't think so, because I'm in the business where people are fake and they play all kinds of games. There's a lot of manipulation and power play, so I've had my share of experiences. Maybe a few years ago, before I entered the industry, I could have been beguiled. But I am not so naive anymore. I feel that, in a sense, falling for Charles is like being overpowered by black magic. You know, black magic doesn't affect people who are strong internally. Even an exorcist would tell you that you get possessed only when you have lack of faith. So, I wouldn't fall for a guy like that because I can't be swayed easily. There are those who have the gift of the gab and can charm you, but when it's fake, you can make out the difference. And it just doesn't work for me.

Who are some of the most charismatic men you've met in life?
The first time I interacted with Amitabh Bachchan saab, I thought he was too charismatic. For a superstar, he was very humble. Shah Rukh Khan seems like an affectionate guy and you want him to do well. Salman Khan is enigmatic. He is like a brat with a heart of gold.

You have a very sensuous track in the film. Were you comfortable doing bold scenes with Randeep Hooda?
It would seem so from the trailer, but to be honest, there are hardly any bold scenes. I am visiting him in the jail and someone will hardly be able to mess around in such a setup. But there are other girls in the film who are doing bolder scenes. I believe Charles' life involved a lot of sex. That was his modus operandi. If he found a female lawyer or a tourist or a princess of some state, he would charm her and swindle her jewellery or cash. In the movie, Randeep knows that he can make my character do all the leg work. But there aren't a lot of bold scenes with him, I had more in Masaan.

Randeep and you share a sizzling chemistry. How did the two of you bond off screen?
Randeep is an interesting man. He is someone who is wonderful inside, but on the outside, he is a bit intimidating. He is unpredictable because you don't know how he might behave. He has a tough boy image and I think he is happy with it. But he is a nice person at heart.I would like to know him better.

You have done many subject-oriented roles. What attracts you to a script?
For me, I read the script like a story and that has to be interesting. Then I see my role in it and ask if my character is removed from the film, would it still work? My character must have an integral role in the film. Also, it's important for me to know who the filmmaker is, and who are my co-stars, because then I can blindly trust the script, which helps me to play the role better.

A lot has been written about your relationship with French actor Franck Gastambide. How do you react to the interest in your personal life?
I never thought people would be interested in my love life! But, Franck is great. I have nothing to explain to him ever, because he has grown up in such a different culture. Franck is a lovely person who is really committed. I am not against Indian men, but he will never ask me, 'Why did you have a kissing scene?' or 'Why was your skirt so short?' and I've heard all this before. So it is really refreshing for me. He doesn't come with a cultural baggage. He is French, so the only barrier we have is that of language because he doesn't speak English too well, and I don't know French, so we haven't been able to hang out all by ourselves. And it's difficult to have a relationship in a different continent. I mean, today, long distance relationships don't survive even in the same country. Language is a problem, so I use a lot of translation apps. When I meet Franck, I have to have a fast internet connection or a 4G signal on my phone. He is very sweet but I can't say that we have a full-fledged relationship because we haven't been able to explore that aspect. I haven't decided to move to Paris yet because I don't feel that there is a requirement for an Indian actress in French cinema on a regular basis.

Prawaal Raman's upcoming film Main Aur Charles is based on the famous Tihar jail break of 1986 of Charles Sobhraj, where the powerhouse performer Randeep Hooda is portraying Charles.Charles Sobhraj is currently in Kathmandu jail and it's almost impossible to meet him. But on Sunday morning, Randeep Hooda along with his director managed to do the impossible, they met Charles, now a 72-year-old man in Kathmandu jail. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with Randeep on his meeting with the man he portrays on screen this Friday.

How long was your meeting?
We met him in the area of mulaqat for about 10 minutes. He was at a distance of seven feet from us.

How did you manage to meet Charles?
It's not difficult to meet him, it's almost impossible. We had to go through a lot to meet him and finally got the permission but even after that when we landed in Kathmandu, we were still not allowed to meet him initially.

Talk about the details of your meeting?
I had gone dressed looking myself and not dressed as Charles, so when he saw me he could not recognise till I told him, 'I am the guy who plays Charles.' He looked at me with a long silence and then gave me a thumbs up. I had heard from our sources that he had seen the trailer of our film on his TV there and had liked it. We wanted to present him the poster of the movie. But he had not only already seen the poster, but had already put it up on the wall of the jail. We sent him some posters to sign and he not only signed them but also wrote his best wishes for us. He told us how seeing the trailer, he felt that the film was a great quality product and seeing it, he felt nostalgic about his young life. He told us how it needed guts for producers to make a film like this and he applauded Prawaal Raman for capturing it right. He was specially very high on the fact that I could portray him so correctly. He asked me, 'Where did you get my speech and mannerisms?' I said, 'Out of your available footage.' He said, 'Spot on.' Generosity is a big part of his nature wherever he goes. He requested for a screening of the movie after it releases not only for himself, but also for all his 3,000 inmates. He asked me whether it would be possible. I said, 'Yes. We will need to take permission but we will try our best.'

Did he talk about the possibility of his release?
He told us that there was a hearing on November 3 and that he might be getting out of jail in three months.

Did you present him anything else apart from the poster?
I presented him a book Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend. Charles has been kept in a special cell but he still reads a lot and is very clued on to what is happening around.

How do you feel having met him?
I am so happy meeting him. It was such a surreal experience for me. He was everything larger than life that I had expected him to be. He was surrounded by security and a lot of his young boys that he pampers and he was all like enthusiastic about meeting us. I thought he was so full of life, almost virile. He is still such a handsome man. Even at the age of 72, he has his aura fully intact.

Has he sent any message?
He sent his salaam to Amod Kant. He complimented us for choosing to portray this part of his life, which he said was very interesting. He also said that once he was out of jail, he would like to meet Prawaal and me to share more interesting stories about his life, which could mean more sequels to his story.