Judging the short film competition at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne that recently concluded in Australia, actor Ali Fazal was in for a surprise when he met an unusual fan at the event. The actor announced a film based on Islamophobia, titled Found, as the winner. But Ali had the chance to meet the film’s director long before he took the judge’s chair.
A source says, “Kauthar Abdulalim (director of Found) has been following Ali’s work since the latter joined the industry. Even before Kauthar knew that she had won the award, she had gone to meet Ali at a press conference and speak to him about his experience in the industry.” The film’s theme impressed Ali, who was also pleasantly surprised to know that the director was his fan.
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“It’s always humbling when fans come and speak to you, when they take the time out to say ‘hello’, sometimes missing work and changing schedules. When I met Kauthar Abdulalim on the day of a press conference, I could barely see her with all the press people lined up in the middle. A day later, at the award function, I finally met her on-stage right after I showcased her film Found before the audience, and presented her the award,” shares Ali.
The actor, who’ll be seen in an upcoming comedy film, wants to encourage more such filmmakers. “Kauthar came despite an injured foot to receive the award. I told her that I was blown away by her film. To talk about such an important topic in the simplest and yet innovative way was moving. The coincidence was pleasant but the thing that stayed with me was the film because it speaks of racism in the new world order. And it’s loud and clear,” says Ali.
{{/usCountry}}The actor, who’ll be seen in an upcoming comedy film, wants to encourage more such filmmakers. “Kauthar came despite an injured foot to receive the award. I told her that I was blown away by her film. To talk about such an important topic in the simplest and yet innovative way was moving. The coincidence was pleasant but the thing that stayed with me was the film because it speaks of racism in the new world order. And it’s loud and clear,” says Ali.
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