Mumbai, June 23 (AHN) Actor Adil Hussain is known for his meaningful roles in which he breathes life through his performance. However, the fine performances are not just about the craft, they’re also influenced by a person’s thought-process and their perception of the world.

The actor, whose film ‘52 Blue’ is set to be screened at the upcoming edition of the London Indian Film Festival, spoke with AHN, and spoke about his pursuit as an artiste.

When asked if he is chasing something higher in terms of consciousness, wisdom or knowledge, he told AHN, “If we consider acting as a form of art, which has been defined in Natyashastra, that pursuit of art is to find meaning. Why are we surviving on the planet? It is probably a never ending pursuit. Probably that I wouldn't know in one lifetime, or maybe several lifetimes before me, I don't even remember”.

He further mentioned that he dislikes the concept of hierarchy, and would rather call it his pursuit to look for something deeper.

He went on, “So I do not like that hierarchy at all. It could be deeper, that I want to scratch, not only scratch the surface of my purpose of actions, which I am committing in a given circumstance, created by writer, director, but I would like to go deeper into it and find meaning. Why am I doing what I'm doing? So, that has been the case since 1996. And since the time I played a role called Mephistopheles, which is a character in one of the world's most acclaimed plays written by Christopher Marlowe, called Dr. Faust, where I played the devil. And I was terrified and horrified after I played that. I was like, ‘Oh my God, why am I doing this? What is the purpose of playing a devil, and the greater purpose of art in human society?’. And in order for me to play the devil, I have to be the most compassionate person”.

“Otherwise, I will not be compassionate or empathetic and empathetic. If I have an iota of judgment towards that role, I will not embody it properly. I will have disgust or distaste for the role. So in order to play a devil, I have to be, I have to walk toward sainthood. If I can put it that way, a devil cannot embrace a saint, but a saint can embrace a devil”, he shared.

Incidentally, this also answers the question, ‘why the human beings have managed to explore space, but are yet to perfectly understand the depths of our ocean?’

“I feel that it should be a burning question on everybody's mind. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Of course, people say, ‘Oh, I'm doing it because I need to survive. And how much do you do it out of fear and to hoard money and wealth and for yourself and for your children and for your posterity and all that?’ So and the implications of our actions, which operates from fear of survival or fear of not living a comfortable life in the future, has brought the world to this juncture where we are fighting each other”, he added.