Here is why actor Ali Fazal changed his name to Mir Fateh

‘Fukrey’ star Ali Fazal is known as Mir Fateh in the core interiors of Lucknow. The actor had to change and register his name to enter the core interiors of Benares in Lucknow where he had recently taken to fighting real underground matches at a part of his preparation for the upcoming series ‘Mirzapur’.

Ali Fazal knows how to take his on-screen roles rather seriously. For the actor getting immersed in his roles is a practice he follows religiously, one project after the other. In ‘Mirzapur’, Ali Fazal plays the role of Guddu Pandit, a gangster set to take over a lawless land where the trade of arms and drugs is a normal life. To add authenticity to his role, the makers made him go through an intensive physical transformation bulking up to look like a convincing and intimidating gangster on screen. He underwent rigorous training under ‘Dangal’ fame trainer Rahul Bhatt.

Ali who had never portrayed a negative character submerged with utmost dedication into the filming of the series. Apart from a gruelling physical transformation to adapt to the fighting sequences of the show and to do his stunts right, he also took to discovering underground fight clubs or ‘clans’ as he puts it, in Benares, old Delhi, and Lucknow. He through the knowledge of his friends spent time in utmost secrecy to attend these gatherings and adapt to understand the fight techniques of raw underground fighters. He even participated in two such matches and landed up with multiple bruises on sets, leaving everyone rather concerned with the changes in his physical appearance.

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Speaking about it, Ali said, “I had to change my name to be able to enter these places. Its been the scariest time while shooting for ‘Mirzapur’ yet adventurous. I am not saying this proudly and would not recommend this to others. To others I’d say, try acting for a change and forget method. I just chanced upon underground fight clans in Benares and Badohi during my research, where I picked up some tricks of the trade. It helped.”

Well, all the hard work did pay as Ali looks like a menacing bloke in the town of Mirzapur.

Web-Series ‘Mirzapur’ also features Pankaj Tripathi, Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi. The show is produced by Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment and marks the directorial debut of Gurmeet Singh.

Also Read: ‘Narcos’ makers upset with ‘Mirzapur’ stealing its thunder?