Shahroz Sabzwari is up-to-the-minute in the list of Pakistani television actors to prove their mettle in Bollywood. The actor is all set for his debut in the action-thriller Luv Story.
While speaking to The Express Tribune about his latest venture, the actor revealed that the audience would see him play “a very deep character” in the flick.
“I’m playing a slightly mentally off character. He is mentally challenged in the sense that he has a very low IQ,” said the Aahista Aahista actor.
“The reason I chose such a role is because I want to prove my determination as an actor by doing challenging roles in the age of run-of-the-mill masala films. Once I prove my acting capabilities and talent in compelling roles, people will definitely pay to see me in different avatars,” remarks the 29-year-old.
Luv Story also marks the Bollywood debut of Bengali director Riingo banerjee. Regarding his qualms and concerns about debuting in a movie directed by a novice Bollywood director, he comments, “He’s not a debutant director; he is doing a Hindi film for the first time. He is highly experienced in the art of direction.”
He further adds, “I don’t consider language as much of a barrier, as many of my favourite films are in French. Some French directors have gone onto making films in English, which turned out to be brilliant. The best example of this is Akira Kurosawa who made remarkable films in both Japanese and English.”
Shahroz, who agreed to do the film after reading the script thoroughly would be undertaking workshops to prepare for his character.
“ I will be joining the rest of the cast and crew in Calcutta and Mumbai for 10 to 12 day workshops with the director,” states Shahroz.
The model-turned-actor also revealed that he had no offers to appear in Pakistani films at the moment. “I haven’t been offered any Pakistani film yet but I don’t hold this against anyone. Our industry is an up-and-coming business at the moment with brilliant movies like Waar and Na Maloom Afraad being released,” said the son of the veteran actor Behroze Sabzwari.
He also notes that with his boy-ish looks, it would be very difficult for directors to find appropriate roles for him in Pakistani films at the moment.
“There are at least 10 to 15 more deserving and better looking actors than me in the industry and with my appearance, it becomes very tedious for a director to find a tailor-made role. Therefore, I am acting in a Bollywood film now where there is a lot more margin for both actors and filmmakers as they have around 600 films releasing per year,” says the actor.
Shahroz feels that the experience of having previously acted in the film Khulay Aasman Ke Neechay, which was directed by his uncle Javed Sheikh, would be helpful in ensuring a smooth transition from television to film.
“I have the familiarity of acting in a movie, and have gone through all the nooks and crannies of filmmaking. From dance practices to rehearsals and audio dubbing — I know the drill,” concluded the actor.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2014.
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