Ali Fazal confesses 'shamelessly texting' filmmaker to cast him in 'small part', bagged THIS film: 'You never know..'

Every actor wishes to work with a master filmmaker. Ali Fazal also has one such bucket list, and a name in it is Anurag Basu. The Barfi director will soon be bringing Metro...Inn Dino, and the trailer has made the movie one of the most anticipated titles of July. Metro...Inn Dino marks Basu's final chapter of his hyperlinked trilogy, following Life in a… Metro and Ludo. Amongst the ensemble star cast, Basu chose Ali Fazal to portray one of the most intense characters that embodies emotional vulnerability and inner strength.

Post the trailer, Ali was pointed out by many netizens, and he was showered with appreciation for his character. Speaking about the overwhelming response to the trailer, Ali Fazal opened up about what drew him to say yes to Basu’s vision. He said, “I think we’re all drawn to stories that push us out of our comfort zones. But with this one, it was an easy yes – it’s Basu Da! I had shamelessly texted him long ago, which I rarely do, but his musicality in storytelling has always stayed with me. Basu Da’s technical mastery and his Spartan-like team make shooting feel like just one small part of a bigger masterpiece, leaving us actors in awe, like a box of chocolates where you never know what you’ll get.”

Speaking more about his character, Fazal added, "Akash, my character, is a dreamer – vulnerable, a little lost in the chaos of the big city. Fatima and I take a winding journey in the film, full of zigzags that eventually tie into the larger picture. Somewhere in that mess is the aching heart of our story.”

Directed by Anurag Basu, the film features an ensemble cast including Aditya Roy Kapur, Pankaj Tripathi, Neena Gupta, Konkona SenSharma, Anupam Kher, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ali Fazal, and Saswata Chatterjee. Directed and co-produced by Anurag Basu, with music composed by Pritam, the film will release in cinemas on July 4, 2025.