ONCE UPON A CRIME BEFORE HOLLYWOOD
DAD REVEALS HOW HE USED HIS EXPERIENCE AS A COP IN SCOTLAND FOR ROLE IN INDIAN RAPE REVENGE FILM
Just a little more than 10 years ago, Adam Saini was pounding the pavements of Musselburgh as a beat cop for Lothian and Borders Police.
He starts this decade starring in a movie up against The Irishman and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in the Best Film Oscar category.
And, just to make things even more bizarre, Adam’s movie is an Indian-produced film called Scotland.
The dad of three, who had never acted before the movie, admits he is still in shock that he is being mentioned in the same breath as some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Adam, who plays a father seek ing revenge on his daughter’s rapists after the Indian justice system lets them walk free, has also revealed how he used his experiences as a policeman to get into character. He said: “I never imagined this would happen to me. I had two dreams in life – one was to be a police officer and the other was to be an actor – and both have come true. My new dream is for the movie to win an Oscar.” Adam will find out if the film will make the final shortlist for the biggest prize in movies tomorrow.
But Scotland has big competition as it is up against blockbusters with multi-million pound budgets.
He said: “Scotland is an Indian film with English subtitles, so to even get a nominat ion i n the mainstream Best Feature Film category rather than the International category is quite impressive.
“I never thought I would be able to say I was up for an Oscar alongside my hero Al Pacino or huge movies like Joker and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
“I was able to give the performance I did thanks to my time as a constable with Lothian and Borders pol ice when I witnessed first-hand the horrific distress of victims and their families. “Gang rape is a huge issue in India and the majority of time the women are killed or left for dead and the perpetrators are never brought to justice as the system is so corrupt. “The whole idea for the movie was mine as I felt it was important to let the world know of the harsh reality suffered by women in India. It’s a very heartbreaking subject that needs to be tackled and awareness raised.
“The Scottish justice system is light-years ahead of the one in India. “I’m hoping this f ilm will make people sit up, take notice and campaign for change.
“It’s called Scotland as the idea was inspired by my time as a cop there.” Adam, whose wife Zaina Ibourek helped produce the movie, was so determined to get the project completed
that he was back on set 48 hours after having a heart attack while he filmed scenes.
The actor, who is dad to Isha, 12, Amber, five, and Rayan, three, said: “I was doing a powerful scene just after my character’s daughter had been raped.
“I was in real pain and just put it down to feeling an affinity for the father. I told the on- set doctor I was OK and carried on with the scene.
“After we finished shooting, the crew insisted I go to hospital, where I was told I’d had a heart attack and needed surgery.
“I pleaded with them to operate quickly because I needed to get back to the movie as our budget was so small and our time in India was so limited.
“I had an operation that night to put a stent in my heart and I was back on set 48 hours later shooting an action scene. It didn’t matter that I looked terrible as it suited the character I was playing.
“I couldn’t let something like a heart attack get in the way of making a film with such a powerful message, not just for the women of India but as a father living in constant fear of something happening to my two beautiful daughters.”
Adam, who lives in London where he works in IT for IBM and also runs Mars UK Films Ltd with his wife, says his days spent stationed at Musselburgh between 2003 and 2007 – before the formation of Police Scotland – were some of the best of his life.
He added: “I was born in Lochnow near Delhi. I came to Scotland when I was 28 after I married my ex-wife, who was from Edinburgh.rgh.
“I started off workinging i n Boot s wh i l e study ing des ign and technology at Telford College.
“I really wanted to be a policeman but, at 5ft 7in, I thought I wass too small.
“You may think this is strange but I hadad dreamed of being a Scottish police officer since I was nine years old and a quiz in school said the Scottish forces were considered the best in the world.
“One day, two police officers came to visit my mother-in-law, who was a Justice of the Peace, and they told me the height restrictions had been changed and I should apply – so I did.
“I passed all my exams and, in my final interview, my superintendent told me she was very impressed with the effort I had made to learn Scottish lingo. She laughed when I told her I learned the words from reading Oor Wullie.
“After I got in, I was told I was the only Asian cop on the force who had not been born in the UK.
“I absolutely loved every minute of it and I think people loved me as I was always cheerful. A tiny Asian policeman on the streets must have been a real novelty.
“I didn’t want to leave the force but, when my marriage broke up, I went back to India before returning to work in IT in Aberdeen for five years.
“I then got a job with IBM and moved to London, where I met my second wife.
“We run a film company together and acting is now my big passion.
“I’m almost 48 and I’m just starting out in a new career at a time when other people are thinking about retiring but I’m very happy and the Oscar nomination is the icing on the cake.”
Adam is hoping to start filming his second movie – A Cannibal Mind – later this year. It is based on his experiences dealing with people suffering from schizophrenia during his time as a PC.
He said: “The script is written and we are hoping to film part of it in Dundee or Musselburgh. It’s about two schizophrenics who are left without support and turn to cannibalism. We are hoping to submit it to next year’s Academy Awards.”
Martin Nuza, who is an executive producer on Scotland and A Cannibal Mind, has tipped Adam for stardom.
He said: “Adam is an incredible actor who literally risked his life to get Scotland made. He has a huge talent and a passion for raising awareness of topical issues that need addressing.
“The film has already won seven international awards. Even if it doesn’t make the shortlist, we are hoping the Oscar nomination will lead to offers from Netf lix or Amazon movies – making Adam a household name.”
My boss laughed when I said I'd learned Scottish lingo from reading Oor Wullie