Rekhachithram actor Asif Ali, who made his acting debut with the 2009 Malayalam movie Ritu, recently shared why he chose to become an actor. He revealed that he turned actor because of South superstar Kamal Haasan. Asif further stated that he got inspiration from Haasan’s career graph and the way he chose his characters. He shared that earlier he wanted a superstar image and a fanbase like Kamal Haasan. But his perspective changed after he met his first film Ritu director Shyamaprasad. 

When asked why he chose to become an actor as his father is a politician, Asif Ali told Hindustan Times, “because of my father. My father is a big movie buff – he’s a hardcore Mohanlal fan. We used to watch every single release as a family. So, from my younger days, I was a film buff. I was, and I am, a Mohanlal fan. I also used to watch Kamal Haasan movies. In fact, I wanted to be an actor just because of Kamal Haasan. The way he chooses his characters and the way he gives an identity to his characters - that was my kick. I wanted to live so many identities like him. If you watch Kamal Haasan in one movie, you can’t see the same Kamal Haasan in his next one. That got me excited, and I wanted to do this. I wanted to experience living different personalities and different lifestyles. And definitely, I wanted this superstar image and a fanbase. But when I did my first film, Ritu, with director Shyamaprasad, he completely changed my attitude. He showed me a different perspective on cinema. He showed me a different way of getting satisfaction from a film.”

Talking about achieving stardom, Asif added “Now, I’m not bothered about the stardom. The only thing I’m bothered about is the satisfaction I get from playing a role and the appreciation I get for playing these roles. I don’t believe in this stardom anymore. 

Asif Ali worked in movies like Kishkindha Kaandam, Thalavan, Level Cross, Kooman, Adios Amigo and Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha to name a few.