In a brilliant stroke of casting 19 years ago, filmmaker Rudi Dolezal selected young Zal Bahadurji to play his good friend Freddie Mercury, the iconic frontman of the rock group Queen who had died in1991, in his definitive documentary Freddie Mercury — The Untold Story which was released in 2000.
One has only to look at a photograph of young Bahadurji, then nearly 11 years of age, to immediately notice his uncanny resemblance to Mercury. The slim build, the soft eyes, and the slightly buck teeth made him the perfect choice for the role. Add to that Mercury’s and Bahadurji’s common Parsi heritage, and it was a winning combination.
Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury) is one of rock music’s most beloved frontmen, a brilliant singer, songwriter, pianist and composer, with a legion of fans growing in number every single day, even 28 years after his death. His Bohemian Rhapsody remains the number one rock song of all time, and his performance at the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert organized by Bob Geldof is still considered rock’s finest set ever! But more than that is the love he inspired in the hearts of people all over the world. He is so adored that for years after his death Mercury’s mother Jer said in an interview that she received tons of mail from his fans simply addressed to "Freddie Mercury’s mother, Nottingham, UK.” And the mailman knew just where to deliver it!
Dolezal, a well-respected Austrian filmmaker now relocated to Florida, wanted to tell this incredible man’s story in the most authentic manner possible. His brilliant documentary, shot in1999, covers Mercury’s life from birth right up to his death. He sent scouts all over Bombay to seek someone to play the "young Freddie” for the segment about Mercury’s life at St Peter’s High School in Panchgani. On audition day, the corridors of the Taj Hotel were lined with young hopefuls accompanied by their parents.
According to Bahadurji’s mother Tanaz, "Dolezal and his team looked so bored when we opened the door. But as soon as Zal walked in, the atmosphere in the room became noticeably charged. The team sat up, rolled up their sleeves, looked excited and asked Zal a few questions. It seemed to be a unanimous decision, and an immediate one! They had found the one to play Freddie at St Peter’s and Zal was told right there that he had got the part!”
Tanaz accompanied her son to Panchgani for the shoot. It was a grueling week with schedules lasting from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., but young Zal handled the work like a pro!
"I felt Rudi’s team was very professional, very understanding, treated everybody with respect, and knew exactly how to get what he wanted on film. In my opinion, this documentary has so much more substance to it than the recent movie Bohemian Rhapsody. This is Freddie’s true story and very well told,” an impressed Tanaz shared with Parsiana.
She generously opened her home in Bombay to Dolezal and his team after the filming, and much of the editing was done at her dining table. It was loads of fun as well as a learning experience for her entire family, especially for Zal.
The documentary, made 18 years before the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, went on to win an award and was also nominated for the prestigious Grammy music award in 2002.
Besides Dolezal being an experienced filmmaker who had known Freddie personally, he had his own vision for the film.
Touching base with Zal in New York recently, Parsiana asked the now 30-year-old, how he felt when selected to play Freddie?
"The emotion that was most prevalent was excitement. Just the audition alone was quite thrilling because it was something I hadn’t experienced or done before. I had done some acting in very small roles in school plays, but this was different. I was so excited to be spending time around the hustle of film crew, in the hall where Freddie grew as a musician and with the people he grew up with. St Peter’s, Freddie’s school, was very supportive of the film, went out of their way to facilitate the scenes, and even put classes on hold and interrupted schedules to make everything we did there possible, which made it feel like I had a part in something special.
"I remember the whole experience being a lot of fun. There were stressful times — like when we were running behind schedule and had to make lots of progress in a short period — but it was all very thrilling for a 10 or 11-year-old. There were plenty of stand-out moments — shooting a scene where Freddie runs a race (multiple times, because we were all dressed in the same uniform and the cameraman couldn’t find me in the crowd — very exhausting!), recreating some of Freddie’s iconic photos (standing motionless for what seemed like forever while members of the crew tried to recreate every fold in my clothing, angle of my head, or the width of my smile), and trying to simulate a dorm-room fight without hitting anyone or getting hit (it was fun!).
"I also remember being quite a brat about the food I was supposed to eat in the dining hall scene, so they brought me special food! But what is perhaps the most memorable isn’t quite one incident — it was the process of discovering Freddie’s history with the team. We had all heard stories about him, but being at the school, with people who knew him well, and digging through the archives was quite fascinating. If memory serves me right, Rudi and the principal of St Peter’s were poring over the school’s records looking for Farrokh’s name — a scene that was recreated for the cameras later. Gita Choksi of Panchgani walked us through the campus, telling us anecdotes about Freddie and the cheeky things he did. Being involved with uncovering parts of Freddie’s history, and helping tell his story is probably what stands out most for me.”
Was he was aware that Freddie Mercury was a Parsi when he auditioned for the part? Zal responded, "Growing up, we always knew who Freddie was. He’s always been a source of pride for the community and is someone we can always reference when trying to explain who we are to people who haven’t met any Parsis. Queen was always one of our favorite bands. I remember we had the Greatest Hits CD and my brother and I would play it in our room.
"I think it definitely helped to be a Parsi to be able to try and play the role. Freddie and I grew up in different times, different circumstances and had different lives, but one of the things that we have in common is our culture which plays a huge role in shaping one’s view of the world. I wouldn’t say it felt natural to try and emulate one of the greatest artists and personalities of his generation, but it definitely helped knowing that he very likely grew up with similar values and belief systems as I did.”
Did he research Freddie Mercury once selected for the role? "If I were in the same situation today, I think I would definitely spend time researching Freddie more to try and embody his personality as closely as possible,” Zal replied. "At (that) time, however, we didn’t have the resources that we have today. There was no YouTube to watch his videos, the internet wasn’t as prevalent, and we didn’t have Amazon to find books. We relied on stories from Freddie’s family and friends whom we met. And we used the crew’s knowledge and research to guide me through my scenes, which in retrospect feels quite a cursory approach on my part.”
How did he feel knowing that millions of strangers all over the world would be watching him, over and over again? Zal replied, "I can’t remember exactly the first time I saw the film, but I’m sure it was with my parents and my brother at home when we received the DVD from Rudi’s team. I do remember watching it at school with my class as well. After the movie Bohemian Rhapsody came out last year, I once again watched The Untold Story. It was fun to relive the experience and memories of the shoot, but it still feels a bit strange watching myself on screen!”
Harking back to the present, Zal shared, "Last year I graduated with my MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and am now a consultant living in New York City. The role involves working with companies to figure out how they can use technology to reinvent their businesses, and gives me the opportunity to work with multiple companies in varied industries to help solve high-level strategic problems.
"I absolutely love living in New York City — it reminds me of Bombay in so many ways, but the things I do miss are my family and my friends, so I try and visit them as much as possible. Lately, as my life here begins to feel more permanent, I’ve been trying to get more connected to the Parsi community. I have a few Parsi friends with whom I am regularly in touch, and last Navroz I went to a celebration at the dar-e-mehr outside the city. I’ve also been missing my mum’s and grandmother’s cooking, so I recently made curry-chaval (rice) for the first time. I did have help — Mom sent me the masalas — so it feels like I cheated a bit, but it’s a start!”