‘I KNEW FAUDA IS FAMILIAR HERE, BUT NOT TO THIS EXTENT’

I was stopped by people to take photos. It was surprising. TSAHI HALEVI, Actor-singer

This was his maiden visit to India, and Israeli actorsinger Tsahi Halevi has been enjoying all the fame and appreciation coming his way, thanks to the global hit web show, Fauda.

“I knew Fauda is quite familiar here, but not to this extent. The day I landed in Mumbai, I went to Taj Mahal hotel and Leopold Café to see what happened in 2008. I was stopped by people to take photos. It was surprising,” he tells us.

Does he attribute this to the OTT boom, which particularly happened during the pandemic? Halevi answers in the affirmative: “Any project starts with a good story. The show came out in 2015, when OTT platforms had started purchasing international content. Now, they not only purchase, but also produce. I suppose this supports so much international content. During the pandemic, we were stuck at home, and what [else] could we do than watch a series!”

“This is also why I want a coproduction between Israel and India, which has such a vast industry,” adds the actor-singer, who interacted with actor Anupam Kher, filmmakers

Imtiaz Ali and Vivek Agnihotri.

What does Halevi, 47, feel about the way Israel is depicted in international cinema? He says he has to think hard about an English film or series that talks about Israel, without it being an Israel production in the first place.

“Most knowledge one gets about Israel is from the news. It doesn’t give you the full picture, as news is always black or white. The way we see India in films, that is not India, it is just a small piece of the puzzle. The same goes for Israel. If someone really wants to know what happens, visit Israel and speak to people, like I did in India,” he signs off.