Actor Danish Husain talking with Subhash K Jha delves into his new film, the Netflix Mexican drama, Lucca’s World, touching on his character and working with co-star Barbara Mori, as well as what might see the versatile actor in next.
How did you bag the plum role in the Mexican drama Lucca’s World?
Lucca’s World came to me as an audition from Nandini Shrikent and Karan Mally’s casting company. I guess the audition went well because despite the date issues, Mariana Chenillo, the director, kept insisting on me. I am glad it worked out in the end.
What was your reaction to bagging the pivotal part?
I was delighted, but finally, when things got sorted, I could only be excited about the forthcoming shoot.
You play Dr Kumar, who works as a kind of miracle worker on the seriously ill. Did you meet the real Dr Kumar?
No, I did not meet Dr. Kumar. Though the creative team forwarded me a few of his interviews and some material on the net. Initially, I was blown away with the concept of Cytotron and his approach towards cancer treatment but as I dug further, I couldn’t find enough peer reviewed material on its effectiveness. Though it did get a breakthrough tag from USFDA, the US authority regulating medical devices. But then, I am an actor and have a limited bandwidth for conducting research on medical science. So, I restricted myself to understanding Dr. Kumar’s process enough to have clarity in my head when explaining the treatment on screen, and of course, I also focused on his mannerisms and physicality. I wanted to create a character unlike me, and authentic for those who have met the Dr. Kumar. And the validation came from Barbara Anderson(whose memoirs are the source for the film) when she met me in Mexico.
What was Barbara Mori like as a co-actor?
Barbara Mori is a brilliant co-actor. She welcomed me warmly, and instantly developed a rapport which greatly supported the equation between the screen Barbara and Dr. Kumar. In between breaks, we’d chat, and she would reminisce about her Mumbai days. I also had a great time chatting with Juan Pablo Medina and Ari Brickman. Both of them are superb actors but, more than that, generous, loving, and warm human beings. I feel I have made friends half a world away.
You deserve to be seen a lot more on screen, what makes you so picky?
Thank you for believing in my talent. I feel I have so much more to learn and so much more to do before I start feeling that I am contributing in some meaningful way through my art. Further, casting here in our country depends mainly on two factors: an actor’s commercial viability, and their ability to capture filmmakers and casting agents’ imagination. In a risk-averse industry, this process becomes painfully slow. It takes years before actors capture a filmmaker’s imagination and become saleable. Unless some filmmakers take the risk and push forward with talents they believe in. When I first came to Mumbai with the intent to work more in cinema, one of the things Naseer Bhai told me was that you should only have three criteria for doing a film: 1. You are playing the primary character. 2. If not primary, then your character changes the arc of the story. 3. If none of the above two, then the producer is giving you brickloads of money. And this principle has never failed me.
Your forthcoming assignments?
There are a few completed projects, at least four web series where I am one of the primary characters, a couple of films, but I have no idea when they will release. But whatever I hear from the people I have worked with in the past 2-3 years, maybe 2025 would see more of my work on screen. Insha Allah.
