7 Dogs directors on working with Will Smith, entering Hollywood and global cinema

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah opened up about their journey to Hollywood, working with Will Smith and Monica Bellucci. The 7 Dogs directors also discussed identity, gatekeeping and the future of global cinema.7 Dogs released in India on August 21. (Credit: Instagram/@adilelarbi)Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah's journey to Hollywood began far from the world they now work in, with no industry connections, little money and years of uncertainty before they began directing major stars in projects including 7 Dogs. Speaking about the road that took them from Belgium to the global film industry, the duo said the dream once felt distant and almost impossible.As they reflected on working with stars such as Will Smith and Monica Bellucci, as well as on projects such as Ms Marvel and 7 Dogs, the filmmakers also spoke about identity, gatekeeping and the future of cinema. They said their experience of growing up in Belgium with Moroccan roots, and later working across industries and cultures, has shaped both their careers and the stories they want to tell.“As students, we didn’t have any connections. We also had no money, [and were] super poor, so the dream of Hollywood seemed to be something very far away,” Adil told India Today. What got them through was perseverance, more than anything else, as he added, “It’s perseverance; it’s really like believing as much as possible and also not wanting to do anything other than that."The directors were refreshingly candid about the difficult years that preceded their success. They said there were ups and downs, along with moments of self-doubt and uncertainty, but they also learnt to accept that falling on their face was part of the process. They also spoke about the gatekeeping that can make Hollywood seem even more inaccessible to outsiders. For them, however, the answer was to keep making films and pushing through the barriers. Adil pointed to filmmaker and YouTuber Curry Barker (Obsession) as an example of how the industry is changing, saying his success showed that even if there are gatekeepers, talent and persistence can still open doors. “If you have talent and you have motivation, you just gotta keep fighting and not let yourself be overwhelmed,” he said.For the two filmmakers who grew up between cultures, that persistence also meant figuring out where they belonged. Bilall and Adil grew up in Belgium with Moroccan roots, and navigating those two identities was difficult when they were younger. Over time, however, they realised that living between cultures had enriched them both personally and as filmmakers. Working with Will Smith and Monica BellucciTheir Hollywood journey eventually led them to Will Smith through their Bad Boys collaboration in 2020 and 2024. Adil said working with someone like Smith offered much more than an actor’s performance on set. “People that are like Will, they’re so professional, they have so much experience. They’re not only actors, but they’re also filmmakers. Having somebody like that, it’s like you have a coach that guides you like a big brother, and then you learn from it”Even after spending years in Hollywood, the duo said they have not completely lost the feeling of being fans themselves. Adil said, “I think that we’re still film students trying to hide the fact that we are starstruck. But we are pinching ourselves, every time, and I think we’re the luckiest film buffs in the world.”Bilall recalled meeting Monica Bellucci, whom he had admired since childhood. “I was a fan since I was a kid, and then seeing her, it was so intimidating. I was like a little boy, saying, ‘Oh, this is Monica Bellucci.’” He added that the moment stood out even more because Bellucci was stepping into action for the first time in 7 Dogs. “She had never done an action movie and here, in 7 Dogs, she was ready to pick up guns, and it was so much fun to see her in action.”Global cinema and 7 DogsTheir work on Ms Marvel also became an important part of their journey as filmmakers working across cultures. Despite being part of the larger Marvel machine, Bilall said the project still felt intimate. “It was a big honour and a privilege. Even though it was like a big Marvel production and you obviously have Kevin Feige behind it, it also felt like a very intimate project. The biggest honour, I think, is the people that are from India and Pakistan; they felt that it was really authentic.”That experience feeds directly into how the directors see the future of cinema. For them, the world is already moving beyond the idea that stories need to belong to one language, country or industry. Adil said, “I think that’s what cinema is all about: finding that universal truth for every human being. Even if it’s a specific story somewhere in India or in Belgium or wherever we are, we are all connected.”They have themselves begun exploring films from India, Korea and Africa, and see that cross-cultural discovery as one of the most exciting things happening in cinema. And 7 Dogs is their latest expression of that idea, bringing together performers and influences from different parts of the world. “7 Dogs really shows how all the best players from different cinemas around the world are in one movie, bringing their roots to it. We hope to keep doing that,” Bilall added.7 Dogs stars Ahmed Ezz, Karim Abdel Aziz, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Giancarlo Esposito and Max Huang, among others.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 24, 2026 15:59 IST