US-born actor and musician Alexx O’Nell has become something of a household name in India after exploring different entertainment media since making his acting debut in Hindi cinema with Cheeni Kum (2007). Recently, O’Nell created a buzz with his performances in Ram Madhvani’s Aarya (2020), Hardik Mehta’s Roohi (2021) and Rumy Jafry's Chehre (2021).
O’Nell has worked in various languages across the country. His first Bengali film was Srijit Mukherji’s Yeti Obhijaan (2017). Then he appeared in Ek Je Chhilo Raja (2018) and Robindronath Ekhane Kawkhono Khete Aashenni (REKKA, 2021).
Next, the multi-faceted actor will be seen playing Frederick Jackson, primary antagonist in Dhrubo Banerjee’s upcoming film Golondaaj, opposite Dev Adhikari, who is playing Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, the father of Indian football, in a period film of epic scale. Golondaaj is slated for a theatrical release on 10 October.
Ahead of the film's release, O’Nell spoke to Cinestaan.com about his career and why Golondaaj holds a special place in his heart. Excerpts:
How did you come into films?
It’s a long story, but I will try to make it short. I did my first play when I was eight, but my first real production took place when I was about 13. I did theatre until I was about 19. Then I took a few years off. While I was in the university in the US, I worked in television and did a few commercials. I came to India for a different purpose and continued to do some modelling here.
Modelling led to my first television commercial, which led to my first film. After two films I participated in the television dance reality show Nach Baliye [Season 3, 2007], which was an incredible experience and which gave me pan-India exposure. After that, a number of interesting offers came my way and here we are, about 42 films and series older!
You have explored different mediums and worked in different film industries, too. How have you enjoyed this diverse experience?
I have worked in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, English and Bengali films. Golondaaj is my fourth Bengali film. I was introduced to the Bengali industry with Srijit Mukherji’s Yeti Obhijaan back in 2017. It was an interesting experience working for the first time in the Bengali industry. But I had shot for Chittagong (2011) here before that and then Roohi came my way. In between, I also shot in West Bengal for Bose: Dead / Alive (2017). So, West Bengal has been close to my heart and I am excited about this upcoming release — a football epic in which I am the primary antagonist opposed to Dev Adhikari.
Working in different industries has given me the opportunity to appreciate the different cultures and see some of the most beautiful parts of India. If I may humbly say so, I don’t think even Indians have been to all the beautiful places I have had the privilege to go. I hear friends speaking excitedly about going to Paris or Switzerland, but I am like, look here at India!
While shooting for REKKA with Srijit Mukherji, I went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, in Sikkim — and we were shooting for a plane crash in the snow-capped mountains and it was absolutely stunning.
I have been all over, including Goa and Kerala. Working in all these different industries got me acquainted with the food, culture, the coffee — the tea that comes from Assam and the coffee that comes from South India — and also to behold some of the natural beauties of this country.
Also, having worked in television, which I find to be an incredible medium that reaches far more people and places than films or OTT, the value of television is not lost on me, working on television kept me from doing a lot of other things personally or professionally. But now the rise of OTT has been a godsend not just for actors but also for writers and directors.
I remember speaking to Ram Madhvani for Aarya. We both agreed that the beauty of OTT is that not only can writers tell much fuller stories, but directors are also less hindered because of the amount of time they have to tell the story. And then we actors are in love with OTT because there is the opportunity to flesh out every individual character.
The one thing I loved so much about Aarya was that my character, Bob Wilson, was not the lead character, he had a very distinct characterization, he had the journey from being a lovable guy, he is just getting married and getting introduced to the culture, and in the end, he just shoots someone in the forehead. OTT truly has been a boon for actors, directors, writers and, above all, audiences.
You have worked with big stars as well as newcomers. How has been the experience? And how do you choose your projects?
I have had the privilege of working with everyone from Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee to Barry John and the new generation actors, including Rajkummar Rao and Richa Chadha. I have had the opportunity of working with artistes better considered as stars and also the ones whom I would call more actors than stars.
It has been a lovely journey. I played the lead role in Chittagong with Manoj Bajpayee years ago. Seeing him, seeing Rajkummar Rao, who are incredible actors, and working with them has been a rewarding experience. Partly because of the rise of OTT, it’s wonderful to see excellent actors getting their due. Writers are not only writing for the stars any more; instead they are focusing on every character in the project. Every character has to be an excellent actor and every character has to hold their story. It’s wonderful to have had the opportunity to work with stars and future stars.
You have been in India for many years now and you are one of us, but has it ever occurred to you that you are likely to get stereotyped in terms of the roles you get?
Honestly, it is the actor’s decision to be typecast or not. What I would point out to you is, take a look at my IMDb [page] and the projects listed there. It’s true that often I have played negative characters, but I have portrayed equal number of characters with both positive and grey shades. Some would say my character in Aarya is a positive character, but at the end, Bob Wilson ends up committing a murder. I am pretty secure in my decisions. I have said ‘No’ to a lot of projects too.
I wouldn’t say I have been stereotyped, but if you look at Main Aur Charles (2015) or Roohi, every time I bring a completely different rendition than an Indian actor and that gives a different dimension to the overall project. I remember speaking to Ram Madhvani that it would have been easier to have an Indian guy reciting a Sanskrit shloka and I remember we both agreed that though it would have been easier, but it would also appear clichéd and expected.
Instead, having an American guy come to India, marry an Indian girl and recite the Bhagwat Gita means so much more and gives a different dimension. Same goes for Roohi. It could have been an Indian journalist making the documentary, but because it’s an American journalist, it gives a different dimension to it. It shows an outsider’s perspective.
So I wouldn’t say I am stereotyped, but I bring a different dimension to the projects I have worked in through the characters I have portrayed. There is no illusion in my mind that I will be playing an Indian character (laughs).
How special is Golondaaj for you? As you have been a good football player, how was the experience for you since the film has a grand mounting and required all the artistes to put in a lot of hard work to prepare for their roles?
Whoever said I am a good football player, I would like to thank them through you (laughs). But really, I have to thank the director, Dhrubo Banerjee, and the cinematographer, Soumik Halder, for making me look like a good footballer. I love football and I also enjoy playing it. My character Frederick Jackson is a far better footballer than I am. I have been playing since I was a kid, I was a coach and I have been an official referee. In Mumbai, I try to play at least once a week. I was actually able to bring along some of my friends from Mumbai to be in my team in Golondaaj because they needed some folks who could play football and they looked the part too.
Football has always been close to my heart, and it has been incredible to play the part in a football-based film in a football-crazy state. I am from the US, but I also spent a lot of time in the Netherlands and football there is insane, unlike in the US.
It’s really nice to do the film. The only sports-based project that I did apart from this was Inside Edge (2017), which was based on cricket. I didn’t grow up with cricket, but I have wonderful memories associated with football.
However, despite all that, it was difficult to shoot because for any football-based film, you are not playing one game but 10 games a day and every minute of the final output takes hours to shoot. It’s a lot harder than shooting non-sport films. It takes a lot more set-up and effort. It’s enjoyable and gruelling too. At one point almost everybody got injured. Thankfully, we took a few months off and shot again. It shows that we had the opportunity to recover, rest and finish the film strong.
It’s a very important film for India as well as for West Bengal because it shows a moment when the people realized that they were worthy of freedom and that revolution was yet to come. I don’t think it was any less important a moment because it wasn’t taking up arms and storming the capital. This was about changing the mindset and they could realize that they could take the steps to attain freedom.
It's very similar to our American Revolution in the United States. I was brought up in a former British colony and there are many parallels to draw with the American Revolution. India is a much younger country. Sarbadhikari died only in 1950. I find it fascinating that this generation has such intangible connection to those who actually founded the modern republic.
How excited are you to promote the film here in Kolkata?
I am incredibly excited not only to promote the film in Kolkata but also because I will be able to spend some time in West Bengal for Durga Puja, finally. I have always seen it from afar, but I never had the time to be here for the festival. My life is kind of dictated by work. That’s a great thing and I am not complaining. I love the fact that the last 15 years or so have been busy ones. But at the same time, I am kind of at the mercy of my projects to be able to witness the things that I really want to experience. The Durga Puja I have always wanted to see.
My business partner in India, Deborpita Saha, is a Bengali. They are extremely excited too. The film is really going to amaze people. I am so happy that the theatres are open. This film has been ready and waiting for the right moment. This is the right moment. It’s such an auspicious time to release the film and it’s my absolute privilege to promote the film and partake in the beautiful festival.
Could you please talk about your future projects?
I have a number of films that are ready, but everyone is waiting for Maharashtra to reopen theatres on the 22nd. It’s tough to wait for the projects to release, but you got to understand that making a film with the economics of releasing the film in theatres is totally different from making a film release with the economics of an OTT platform.
I have almost completed shooting for The Battle Of Bhima Koregaon (2022), a wonderful film starring myself and Arjun Rampal, both of us portraying positive characters set against the forces of time. Another film, The Brave Child, is currently at the post-production stage. I am shooting for a project in South India for Amazon Prime Video, and I have completed a stunning Hindi project that is slated to be released towards the end of the year.
Once the theatres open, we will have a lot to talk about my other projects. Then I will be releasing my fourth single and music video. I also have an amazing film titled Rani Rani Rani, it’s premiering in the US in festivals. It’s my second film with Tannishtha Chatterjee and I am pretty excited about it, too.