He is a British, in heart and soul. But on the big screen, he is nothing but an Indian. It’s strange, admits British actor Jimi Mistry but he loves it as well.
“It’s a typical case of being a typecast. I have been typecast as an Indian. I think it’s because of my lineage (he has an Indian father and Italian mother). For British and Hollywood directors, I am the face of India. It is strange, but that’s the way it works for me,” said Jimi Mistry over the telephone from London.
“If you are fat and you want to be an actor, you have to always play the fat man. Most Caucasian actors are typecasts here. I have been playing an Indian for quite some time now. It feels strange because I am a Britisher in heart and soul. But in some ways, it does feel good at times. I hope that someday my path will cross and I will act in a truly Indian film,” he added.
Going with his typecast, Jimy plays an Indian scientist in his next film where he predicts that the end of the world is near. When asked about his favourite co-star, he said it was Om Puri.
“Unless you work with that man, you can’t gauge the immense talent that he is. I have worked with him in a couple of films and I know that it’s a privilege to share screen space with him.” He immediately added that he is a fan of Salman Khan too. “He has a fantastic screen presence. There are some actors who don’t need to do anything in front of the camera and yet they catch eyeballs. Salman is one such actor.”
Among Jimi’s forthcoming films are sequels to both his top grossers — East is East and Bend It Like Beckham.
Comments
