Acclaimed actor Adil Hussain, who stars alongside Parineeti Chopra in Netflix’s Reporting Live, offers a candid look into how cinema can serve as a powerful medium for social accountability. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day, the actor reflects on why taking on hard-hitting roles is his personal way of registering protest. From confronting everyday societal corruption to addressing the film industry’s role in objectifying women, he opens up about collective responsibility, artistic duty, and why he remains cautiously optimistic about change.
Adil Hussain on actors being apolitical
The crux of Reporting Live is standing against corruption and questioning the system that tries to dumb down what wohdzvx. When asked whether actors should stay apolitical today, Adil recalls meeting his acting teacher for clarity. He shares, “Am I an activist? No. I practice art and use it to express myself in the best possible way. Reporting Live is my way of registering protest, not going to the street. I cannot take a placard. That’s not my job.”
He also mentions that we can’t just blame politicians or a certain section of society for all the wrongdoings. “We are all part of it. While pointing fingers at them, I must also point a tiny finger towards myself,” adds Adil.
Adil Hussain on women’s safety
In the film, Parineeti Chopra plays the role of a journalist whose safety is threatened when she comes too close to exposing corruption. Taking into account the sad state of affairs when it comes to the protection of women, Adil says our society has failed miserably to teach men how to respect the other gender. He explains, “They have seen how women are treated in their own house, and films don’t help at all. We have only fed them trash. Women are being shown as objects of desire and not as wholesome human beings.”
Adil also shares how Mumbai, which is considered the safest in comparison to other cities in India, can’t be exempted. “I have seen people looking at my wife, white-skinned women friends from abroad, and I have empathy for those who do this because we haven’t taught them better. Recently, I was at the Kala Ghoda Cafe with the leading lady of a film I am shooting, and I didn’t tell her, but it happened there too. I hope it gets better. I’m optimistic. Evolution is a very slow process,” says the actor.