Dharamshala: Actor Adil Hussain said he feels more fulfilled as an individual when he is performing on stage. The 54-year-old actor said unlike other people, an artiste cannot afford to be ignorant. 

"Acting impacts you; sometimes deeply. I believe I live a truer life on the stage. As in my real life, I may have the luxury to be unaware, unresponsive, and unintended. "But in the other space, I'm alert, focused, and contained about my character," Hussain said. The actor was speaking at the Q&A session after presenting his film "Mukti Bhawan", which opened the sixth Dharamshala International Film Festival last night.

The critically-acclaimed movie, directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani, revolves around an overworked son forced to accompany his old father, who is in search of salvation in Varanasi. Hussain said he has been obsessed with the idea of death for a long time.  The actor recalled how his father's demise led him to come face-to-face with some of life's simplest truths.   

"I received a call from my eldest brother informing about our father's death when I was shooting on the Pakistan border. But on being called, I got up to give another shot and then wondered why I did not feel sad about my father's passing. "So I had a flashback that I have been obsessed with death for a long time. It led me question my life's purpose," said Hussain. PTI