Mumbai, June 20 : Actor Ali Fazal, who has six projects scheduled for this year, stated that 2024 has been a boon for him despite experiencing hardships due to the writers' strike in the West and now being involved in big projects in India.

Ali said: "This year has turned out to be quite extraordinary for me, despite the global writers' strike. I had to take a significant break from international work, but life has been incredibly kind. Many exciting opportunities have come my way."

The actor has 'Mirzapur 3' under Excel Entertainment, Anurag Basu's 'Metro... In Dino', Mani Ratnam's 'Thug Life' alongside Kamal Haasan, Rajkumar Santoshi's 'Lahore 1947' under Aamir Khan Productions, the Hollywood film 'Afghan Dreamers' directed by Bill Guttentag, and another unannounced project.

"I'm thrilled to be part of Anurag Basu's film 'Metro... In Dino' and Mani Ratnam's 'Thug Life', as well as 'Lahore 1947' and several other projects. It's been a chance to explore a variety of roles in a short time, especially considering 'Mirzapur' has been the only long-format show I've deeply engaged with over the past few years,' the actor added.

Ali added that as actors, "we love to grow, and the directors I'm working with are pushing me to perform in new and different ways."

"I hope the audiences enjoy my performances and the stories I want to tell. On the production front, we're excited to launch 'Girls Will Be Girls' globally and find a home for it in India and other territories. We've also announced five other projects with some wonderful creators."

"While not all of these projects will have us acting, some will. These are baby steps in shaping our production house, Pushing Buttons Studios. We aim to nurture new talents and ourselves as well," he added.

Ali also spoke about the "nesting stage" as he and his wife Richa Chadha are set to welcome their first child.

'Of course, this is also a time where we are nurturing our personal lives -- it's what I call the nesting stage, as we hope to start a family soon. It's a very exciting time, and I look forward to sharing more in the coming months,' he added.

/IANS