Fahadh Faasil has reflected on his journey from a failed debut to completing 66 films across multiple languages. The actor also opened up about his six-year break, Telugu cinema and his approach to playing complex characters.
Entertainment desk
September 27, 2026 / 13:21 IST
Fahadh Faasil talks about his journey
Fahadh Faasil’s cinematic journey has been nothing short of a roller-coaster. The actor has now completed 66 films, after a disappointing debut that made him leave India and build a career across Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu cinema. He continues to explore unfamiliar territory.
Fahadh spoke about his career, working in Telugu cinema, learning his dialogues and the six-year break that brought him back to acting before the release of Don’t Trouble The Trouble on October 2.
Six-year hiatus after a failed debut
Fahadh made his acting debut in 2002, but his first movie was a box-office bomb. It was a deeply emotional experience and he left for America just two days after the film’s release.
“My first movie was a flop. I left two days after release. “I went to America,” he recalls while talking at the event. He was offered a scholarship to study engineering in the US and at first thought of staying there permanently.
“Maybe by then I thought that I am going to be in America for the rest of my life. Not going back to India, except for holidays..”
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But the years away from India slowly changed his outlook. In that time, Fahadh discovered world cinema, books and new people, which eventually reignited his interest in acting.
“I met so many people that got me introduced to world cinema, great books…and met amazing human beings.
The exposure made him want to get back into movies. Eventually. “Those six years made me want to come back and do a movie. What started out as “one more film” eventually turned into a much larger journey. And that one movie turned into 66 movies,” he says.
What Fahadh Learned From Telugu Cinema
During his stint in Hyderabad, Fahadh has got to witness a different style of filmmaking and production culture. “I love it. I have been here a year and a half. I have family, friends. Too many people around me,” he said.
He also liked the degree of planning and professionalism that he saw. “The Telugu team was very clear about the project and that was something that struck me,” Fahadh said.
“They know their product better than anything. They’re very clear about their product. They are very clear on how to go about with the product,” he said. He said the experience is an important learning opportunity.
Why Fahadh is attracted to gray characters
Fahadh is playing Suri in Don’t Trouble The Trouble. Reports say, Suri will slowly come out of the gray shades and into something more positive. When asked what attracts him to morally ambiguous characters, the actor connects that fascination to human nature.
“I think every human has that and I love to explore,” he says.
His approach to acting also allows for things to change during production. Fahadh says that a film should have a strong basic structure but the filmmakers and actors should be free to respond organically as they shoot.
“I insist on changing the script as we shoot,” he says.
“Organically, we all feel like something needs to be changed. We ought to be able to change it. “We must not abide by the law.”
At the same time, he says, he needs to know the whole journey of a story before production begins.
I won’t even start a film without a beginning, middle and end. I need these three things to be in place to start shooting.”
He likes to experiment after those basics are in place.
“And once you have that structure, then you play around.”
He says the filmmaking process is like cricket where preparation doesn’t necessarily lead to the outcome.
“Making a film is like a cricket match. You have no idea if you’re going to win or lose. But the point is to have fun.”
Another step in Fahadh’s increasingly multilingual career is Don’t Trouble The Trouble, directed by Shashank Yeleti. The actor has relished the challenge of working in Telugu and dubbing his own lines and adapting to a new production environment.
The film also speaks to how far his career has moved on from the disappointment of his first film.
What seemed like the end of his acting career then turned out to be the beginning of one that has spanned 66 films — and Fahadh still treats each new collaboration as a chance to learn.
Entertainment desk Entertainment Desk at Moneycontrol reports on the celebrities, movies that shape India’s entertainment industry. With a sharp focus on cinema, OTT, web series, and latest trends, the entertainment desk delivers verified news, and analytical stories that place entertainment within a wider economic and cultural context. Our coverage goes beyond celebrity to examine how storytelling, audiences and business decisions influence one of the country’s most influential creative industries.
first published: Sep 27, 2026 01:20 pm
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