Ali Fazal On Breaking The ‘Brown Actor’ Stereotype In Hollywood: ‘There Is Going To Be A Lot of Focus On South Asian Actors’ (EXCLUSIVE)

As Indian actors continue to make their mark internationally, Ali Fazal believes that Hollywood's view of talent from India has undergone a significant shift. While there was once a tendency to associate Indian cinema primarily with song-and-dance spectacles, the actor says perceptions have evolved.

Reflecting on the changing global perception of Indian talent, he said, “I think people understand the rich culture that we come from. And, in many places, people are jealous of that because we still hold on to stories that the world has not seen. I think now, more than ever, there will be a lot of focus on South Asian stories, characters, and actors. I'm happy so many actors are going out now and can share notes with everybody at that level.”

Fazal has steadily built an international career with roles in major Hollywood productions, including “Victoria & Abdul,” “Death on the Nile,” “Furious 7” and “Kandahar,” working alongside acclaimed actors and filmmakers while continuing to balance projects in India.

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Pointing to the growing presence of Indian actors in international projects, Fazal cited fellow actor Adarsh Gourav as an example. “He did ‘Alien: Earth,’ and I think he's back doing the second season.”

Fazal recalled that stereotypes about Indian cinema were more common earlier in his career. “People thought it was just song and dance. I've been asked this in a room, ‘Oh, your English is very good.’ I said, ‘You ruled over us for 200 years. It bloody well be good. I mean, among other languages, but yeah.’”

The actor also spoke about consciously steering away from stereotypical "brown boy" roles, saying he has been fortunate to work during a period when international casting has become more inclusive and character-driven rather than ethnicity-driven.

“I think actively and luckily I have been part of that changing period in casting. With “Death in the Nile,” it was totally blind casting. The original characters in the book are all white, but this was the most diverse cast we could have had. My part was older, but when (director-actor) Kenneth Branagh brought it to me, it was a younger character. Even Kandahar, he was an Indian and, you know, who's operating in Pakistan and Qatar and Afghanistan side, but he's a nobody; he's like a biker, a loner.”