The thespian morphs into his character on-screen and one tends to forget that they're actually seeing Adil Hussain. Instead, one sees Rajiv in Mukti Bhavan, a son trying to come to terms with his father’s dying wish; one sees Mr Patel (Pi’s father) in The Life of Pi, brimming full of wisdom; and one sees Mirza, a blood-curdling patriarch, in What Will People Say. Throughout his filmic journey, Hussain’s own persona remains hidden, ever-so-firmly, on the big screen. Every character that he plays is a portrait and not just an archetype. Perhaps this is what distinguishes Adil Hussain from the cinemagoer’s inevitable palette, the glitterati. This and his ubiquitous presence in film festivals across the nation (Hussain has acted in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Malayalam, Norwegian, and French films). It comes as a surprise then, that the actor has signed up for the next season in the newest spin of the Star Trek franchise: Star Trek Discovery. Read more:

Read| Adil Hussain and others call for a permanent solution to floods in Assam

From Art Films to Big-budget Sci-fi

Despite being a bastion of alternate, independent, and thought-provoking cinema, Hussain is not averse to the mainstream. He was seen alongside Sridevi in English Vinglish seven years ago, he was seen for a few minutes in Kabir Singh, and now the actor is all set to immortalise himself playing a character for the Star Trek franchise. Adil Hussain will be seen in the third season of Star Trek Discovery. The series is a prequel to the original Star Trek series: a phenomenally popular space-opera that aired in the late 60s. 

Read| Transformation Into Khiladi: A Look At Akshay Kumar's Unusual Journey

The actor, who is was last seen at the Busan film festival where he was representing two new films, is all set to act in something that is, on the face of it, light-years away from what the actor usually does ⁠— Star Trek is probably the biggest thing to happen to the Science Fiction genre. In fact, its influence goes way beyond science fiction. Star Trek exists somewhere, probably right alongside Friends, near the core of American pop culture. In fact, the Star Trek universe spans upwards of 700 TV episodes, twelve movies, and endless fan fiction. What’s more, the saga has, over time, even managed to spawn constructed languages spoken by fictitious characters (most notably Klingon) and a fandom that makes up a major chunk of comic conventions across the US and the globe. In this context, it will be interesting to see how Hussain’s ‘alternate’ sensibilities will reconcile themselves. Would it, perhaps, be a sabbatical of sorts for the actor? With the sort of ‘cosplay’ performances that are expected from actors of this decades-old franchise, one school of thought by netizens following the actor is that Adil Hussain won’t really be taxing himself with Star Trek Discovery. Others speculate that his acting might be at odds with 'steel and space' characters. Either way, Star Trek Discovery is sure to be a fluffy new feather in his cap, one that is already well-feathered.

Read| Marvel’s Kevin Feige Honored At Saturn Awards, Calls Stan Lee 'Genius'

Read| Amitabh Bachchan On Co-stars He Considers Idols