Ali Fazal is an Indian actor and model. In addition to starring in a number of Bollywood films and being declared 2014’s “Most Desirable Man” by the Times of India, he appeared in 2015’s Furious 7, the seventh installment of the Fast & The Furious franchise, and starred alongside Judi Dench in 2017’s Victoria & Abdul.
Most recently, the 33-year-old bachelor stopped by the set of Netflix India’s new dating reality series What The Love!, where he went on his first-ever date with another man. The show’s premise is pretty simple: Contestants meet with a team of celebrity coaches and style experts to help prepare them for blind dates.
Episode 3 features a man named Rabanne, who is seeking a boyfriend in Mumbai. For his “practice date,” he’s paired up with Fazal, who admits he’s never actually been on a date with another guy before, but he’s open to giving it a try if it means helping Rabanne find love.
During their “practice date,” the two engage in some flirty banter and seem to have some genuine chemistry. It ends with Rabanne saying he’s always wanted a man to lift him up in his arms, a request Fazal is happy to abide by.
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Fazal shared a behind-the-scenes clip from the episode, which premiered today, with his nearly 700K Instagram followers, along with the caption: “It seems I cover my nervousness with hysterical laughter.”
Looking back on the experience, Fazal, who admits he’s been hit on by guys in the past but has never followed through with anything, explains: “To begin with, it was a very nervous experience, more for me because I’ve never been on a same sex date before. But I stayed on and was just having fun with him. I think that was quite a task and I actually feel good about it.”
As for Rabanne, later in the episode, he goes on blind dates with two different men. One of them clearly isn’t a fit, but the other–a young make up artist name Adarsh–proves to be more successful, though not without some awkwardness. Does it prove to be a match? You’ll have to watch the episode to find out.
What The Love! is available to stream on Netflix beginning today.
Related: Netflix is about to go gay and Bollywood
CityguyUSA
I’ve seen more handsome Indian men.
bigrawtop
So Ali’s not gay and just toying with a guy’s emotions? Nowhere does it talk about Ali coming out.
Kangol2
Not sure how he’s India’s most desirable man, but whatever. It does seem like contemporary LGBTQ life is advancing there, even with the inevitable backlash.