As the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai Terror Attacks draws near, an Australian movie has been made on the story that shook not only India but the world. Released in October, One Less God, is based on the story of the attack, executed by a group of young men who had landed on the coast of Mumbai after setting sail from Pakistan. Out of the whole gang which wreaked havoc on multiple locations in Mumbai—India’s financial engine—the lone survivor was a young lad named Ajmal Kasab from Pakistan’s Punjab province. Sydney-based actor Kabir Singh plays a character loosely based on him.
In an interview to SBS Punjabi, Mr Singh talks about Yaseen, his character in the movie and more importantly about how the director of One Less God, Lliam Worthington’s treatment of a sensitive but alarming issue of our times: terrorism and the process of an ordinary boy being transformed into a terrorist. “The director hasn’t antagonised the terrorist but scripted the process of Kasab becoming a terrorist,” Mr Singh adds, referring to the attacks that have come to be known as 26/11 in common parlance. The movie was shot in Australia and Nepal.
A poster of 'One Less God'. Source: Supplied
Educated in method acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York, Mr Singh says he’s a complete believer in the power of method acting. “For One Less God, I adopted a physical and emotional approach to method acting: what it means to be a Muslim to a Muslim. I shaved my head and moustache but grew a beard to look like a Muslim. And I’m a Sikh. I got strange looks from people in Australia and I said to myself: wow! This is very interesting! I didn’t sleep for many days because during my research about Kasab, I learnt that he and his accomplices were sleep-deprived and were also on drugs to stay awake. I also joined a training club in Thailand to train in fighting and getting beaten up physically yet surviving.”
Aside from this intense role, Mr Singh has performed in many commercials in India. “I was also offered Indian soap-operas. But I don’t like them at all, the saas-bahu stuff. They don’t impact society positively,” Mr Singh says dismissively about the popular genre of Indian TV serials.
Mr Singh can be seen in another movie with an Indian connection soon titled Aiyai - A Wrathful Soul, which he says is a horror thriller. In this movie, Mr Singh plays an Indian student living in Australia who lands a job at a cemetery and that's when the horror begins to unleash. It is likely to be released by April 2019.
Kabir Singh is also a model and has performed in commercials in India. Source: Supplied
To listen to the full interview in Punjabi, click on the player at the top of the page.
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