Bollywood actor Ali Fazal has all of three scenes in Furious 7.
Perhaps his full disclosure stems from the ridicule that the legendary Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor faced when he promoted the Hollywood film Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol with all his might, indicating that he had a plum roles. In reality, it was a blink-and-miss-it appearance in the espionage drama.
“Right from the start, I have been clear about what I am doing in the film [Furious 7] and how I am a part of it. I have nothing to lose and I haven’t gone and put myself all over the place. I am promoting it in a controlled manner. Just because I am the Indian face, I can’t and shouldn’t go all out like I am heading the [expletive] movie in this part of the world. At the end of the day, The Fast & Furious [franchise] is about a certain bunch of guys,” said Fazal in an interview with tabloid!. In India, he promoted Furious 7 by participating in a drag race in Amba Valley near Mumbai.
While he doesn’t want to reveal the details of his cameo, the 28-year-old actor claims he admits that he isn’t playing an Indian national in the seventh instalment of the hit racing franchise.
“But my part is interesting. He comes in at a point where the Fast & Furious gang need to facilitate something. My character is their quick response to their questions and their needs. Although it’s a cameo with just three scenes, it’s a hilarious part,” said Fazal, who was last seen in Vidya Balan’s comic thriller Bobby Jasoos. For Fazal, just being a part of a hit franchise that celebrated cars and “crazy action sequences” was a reason enough to sign up his first Hollywood feature.
“My first scene was with Paul Walker and it was amazing. That scene was filmed on the day of his birthday in Atlanta. I still remember that scene vividly. It took us seven days to get that scene right because we couldn’t stop laughing at my character. It was the first time that I had interpreted something ... It was hilarious. Vin Diesel was like the daddy on the sets and he treats you like family the moment I stepped onto the sets. Sometimes, I felt a big guy like me could climb on his shoulders and feel safe. He introduced me to the entire team. He’s like the Salman of Bollywood,” said Fazal, alluding to Bollywood’s top star who’s known for his charitable nature towards fresh talents. While his first shooting schedule in Atlanta was upbeat, his second schedule in Abu Dhabi was laced with grief. Walked had died in a car crash and the whole team was still grappling with the loss.
“When we entered Abu Dhabi, Paul was missing. We went to the VFX room and we all felt that tremendous grief and wondered what was going to happen with the movie. Nobody knew what was going to happen. Imagine, I had just met the guy on the first schedule, but I still got teary remembering him. At that moment, I saw the love that the entire Fast & Furious gang had for him.”