MUMBAI : Renowned actor and musician Alexx O’Nell, recognized for his compelling performances in both film and music, is eagerly anticipating the release of ‘Khuifya’ on Netflix, scheduled for the 5th of October. Last seen in the Amazon Prime series ‘Sweet Kaaram Coffee’, the actor’s highly anticipated film not only marks his first collaboration with celebrated director Vishal Bhardwaj but also brings him on-screen with the esteemed actress Tabu for the first time.
While Alexx and Tabu have previously appeared in two films together, namely R. Balki’s’ Cheeni Kum’ and Santosh Sivan’s ‘Urumi,’ interestingly, until now they haven’t shared any screen space. Reflecting on this, Alexx shares, “In ‘Cheeni Kum,’ my scenes were primarily with Amitabh Bachchan, and in ‘Urumi,’ I was alongside Prabhudeva, Geneila D’souza, and Prithviraj. Finally now, in ‘Khuifya,’ my long-awaited opportunity to act face-to-face with Tabu arrives, and for me, our on-screen confrontation was well worth the wait – I believe it is among the most poignant moments in the film.”
Adding to the excitement, ‘Khuifya’ also marks Alexx’s first-time working with actress Wamiqa Gabi and actor Ali Faizal. “Wamiqa is a phenomenal talent and I hope to work with her more in the future, but the majority of my on-screen interactions in ‘Khuifya’ are with Ali Faizal’s character.” He continues, “To be honest, I was most excited to work with Ali since I have been watching his career with awe for quite some time. He has made such significant contributions, not only to Indian cinema, but to such excellent international projects as well. Not to mention the fact that he is the husband of one of my favourite actresses, Richa Chadha, with whom I had the pleasure of working on ‘Main Aur Charles’ and ‘Inside Edge’.”
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Shooting for ‘Khuifya’ took place in a small Canadian town, giving the film a unique look. Alexx, recalling his time on location exclaimed, “Owing to its archaeological significance the town featured ubiquitous dinosaur decor – there were dinosaur skeletons and sculptures literally around every corner… and the hotel featured an indoor waterslide… it was odd, but at the same time really fun!”
Following the completion of ‘Khuifya,’ Alexx underwent a significant makeover in preparation for his upcoming projects. He bid farewell to the signature long hair he sported in such projects as ‘Aarya’, ‘Sweet Kaaram Coffee’, ‘Khufiya’ as well as the upcoming ‘Bak Bak’, and embraced a fresh look for his forthcoming ventures including ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ with Sarah Ali Khan, ‘L2: Empuraan’ with Prithviraj and Mohanlal, and “Phule” with Pratik Gandhi, as well as his most recent single and music video ‘These Four Walls’ released in July.
Speaking about his burgeoning music career and the success of his latest pop single ‘These Four Walls,’ Alexx expresses delight. “The song has garnered a lot of attention, especially in South Africa, receiving radio play on notable stations like Zone Radio, Radio Overberg, and Jacaranda FM.” Furthermore, in support of the release, Alexx was featured on live, in-studio interviews on Smile FM in Cape Town and Radio One in Mumbai among others.
“My audience has been really supportive of my music, especially after I made a shift in my style, brought on by my collaboration with Cape Town based producers Dave Pearce and DJ Cosher. But the soul of all my songs, and this one in particular, is acoustic. So, I’m thrilled to announce that I recorded an unplugged version of ‘These Four Walls’ here in Mumbai with producer Debarpito Saha, and it is now available on Spotify, Apple, Tidal and all the International streaming platforms. But, importantly, I’ve made sure ‘These Four Walls Acoustic’, and all my music, is also streaming on Hungama, JioSaavn, Gaana, and the leading Indian platforms as well! And the video is on my official AlexxONellMusic YouTube channel at video.alexxonell.com/TheseFourWallsAcoustic .”
“I really hope audiences will enjoy my performance in ‘Khufiya’, and ‘These Four Walls Acoustic’ as well. I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity and the kindness of the people of India that alone allows me to keep making Films and Music.” He signs off.
