Mohammad Faizal,who found shelter at a home run by the Salaam Baalak Trust seven years ago,is winning acclaim for his role in the just-released Road,Movie At first,he was a boy who worked at a dhaba. Years later,hes still a boy who works at a dhaba. But this time,tired of waiting tables,he decides to run away. And hitches a ride to stardom. From a bit part in a play called Main Bhi To Ek Bachcha Hoon when he was very little to traipsing around Rajasthan in a vintage truck with Abhay Deol and Satish Kaushik in Road,MovieDev Benegals film about travelling cinema that opened FridayMohammad Faizal has come a long way. Literally. He was all of seven when he found himself standing alone at New Delhi railway station,separated from his parents,whom he had set off with from Sarjanpur,Bihar. As luck would have it,the wave of fate that left him homeless also washed him ashore,and Faizal found shelterand more-at a childrens home in Daryaganj run by the Salaam Baalak Trust. In t-shirt,jeans and sandals,Faizal,at first glance,is a shy 14-year-old who often lowers his eyes. All smirk and blush,he says,In the play,I had only two lines to say. I would ask the lala to increase my wages and he would refuse. In Road,Movie,I have quite a big role. The story of the chalta phirta cinema unspools as Faizals coyness gives way to an excited fluency. Sitting on the steps of the open-air theatre at the new childrens home-built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and managed by the Trustin Tis Hazari where he now lives,Faizal puts on a cheeky air worthy of his character,chhotu,and says: In the film,I keep taunting Abhay bhaiya every time his truck breaks down. He says,if you open your mouth,Ill throw you out. With a satisfied grin,Faizal adds that he is the one who picks up Satish sir,much to Abhays chagrin,and together,they eat up all his food. Working with Satish sir was such fun. He also helped me get my scenes right, he says. Faizal has kept in touch with Dev Benegal. He recently emailed me pictures from the Berlin Film Festival,where the film was screened, he says. The trip to Berlin in February was his first abroad,and Faizal was a little scared at first,just like on the sets,where he had sunscreen smeared on him and his hair fiddled with. But I didnt forget my lines, he says. In a behind-the-scenes video on Vimeo.com titled Finding Faizal,Dev Benegal says he was in awe of Faizals incredible talent. As an actor,Faizal was really in the scene. He is absolutely a part of the story and he blew us away, he says. Obviously,the theatre workshops and street plays at the Trust have stood Faizal in good stead. Which is perhaps why he doesnt want to go back to his parents-he says they have been traced to Kundli,Haryana,where his father has a small shop. All my friends are here, he says. Here is a 32-bed dormitory with crisp,blue-covered bunk beds where Faizal sleeps on a top bunk next to the window. His best friend Shammi-weve been together for five-six years, he saysis also an actor,while other children attend contemporary dance workshops and take sports lessons. A CD of Mahesh Bhatt songs is playingit is exam-time and the boys like to unwind in the evening after school and tuitions. Faizal looks relaxedhe says he usually scores above 80 per cent overall and likes history in particular. What he says next suggests he might end up making history. I like Abhay bhaiya and I loved Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met,but I want to be my kind of actor.
