Adil Hussain on 8 years of Mukti Bhawan, “It played a very important role in my understanding of death”

Filmmaker Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Mukti Bhawan recently completed eight years. The film, starring Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Palomi Ghosh, was acclaimed world over for its theme on life and death. On its eighth anniversary, Hussain looked back at the film in an interview with us.

One of your best works Mukti Bhawan is 8 years old now

Mukti Bhawan is one of those movies I think which will never get old. For me, eight years every time I see this movie I feel it's has a universal appeal. And it doesn't age. The colour, the technique may get old after a hundred years. I don't know. But when I watch the classic movies of Japan or France or other great American movies or even Iranian movies, I think Mukti Bhawan will be one of those movies people would watch and discover it after a long time and will think about this 24-year old Shubhashish Bhutiani who directed and wrote this movie.

How did he do that?

It's almost like a miracle for me. And it also played a very important role in my understanding of death, which I had a great fascination about what happens after death and also the fact that it also established me internationally in the art house film world as a dependable actor across the globe. And it makes me feel very proud that I'm part of this amazing beautiful gentle storytelling. And I'm very, very glad that you're asking that you’re asking me about it.

Where do you place Mukti Bhawan in your oeuvre?

I keep it in my top 5, I would say. Top 5 of my films. Don't ask me the rest of the 4, because that will upset few of my friend directors. I think it is, yeah, top 5 for sure.

Doesn’t it anger you that the film didn’t get the commercial success it deserved?

I don't get angry, but I get a bit sad. Like, oh, these are such wonderful films that people did not get to see. And so many people haven't seen the films. These films, 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 of them, that, you know, I consider them... Which were really worthy of my work and time. And hopefully, I was worthy to the film as well. So, I feel sad that these films... But people are watching it. And not as many people as I would wish could have watched.

What are you working on next?

Yes. I just finished a film called The Secret of the Mountain Serpent. The film is produced, funded by Venice Film Festival. Then a film directed by Nidhi Saxena. I play the male lead. It's a story based on a folklore in Garhwal district in Uttarakhand. And this is going to be premiered in Venice this year. It's an independent film. Art house film. The other film which I'm about to go and shoot is in the UK. Directed by Wanphrang Diengdoh, who directed a film called Lorni with me in the lead.

Also Read: On 8 years of Mukti Bhawan, director Shubhashish Bhutiani recalls, “Shooting in Varanasi was a beautiful experience. It had its challenges, but that was part of the adventure”