A 65-year-old driver Namdev Gaurav has been nominated in the Best Actor category alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Ayushman Khurana and others at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2019.
He has been nominated for portraying the protagonist's character in the movie Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence.
Namdev Gaurav is the driver of producer Dheer Momaya- who has produced the movie that has been directed by Dar Gai.
"Namdev Bhau inherently has a sense of relaxed urgency about him. That coupled with boundary-less wit is great to recreate emotions naturally for the camera. Also, the deep characteristic of his face helps distinguish the subtlest of emotions that he feels. However, initially, I just wasn't sure whether he would be able to hold the screen for 90 minutes. Moreover, I just didn't think he was prepared enough as an actor to deliver performance on a tightly budgeted schedule. Dar was convinced from the first day of rehearsals though," the producer said.
"I am feeling very happy and excited about my nomination. My family is also very happy about it. I still can't believe I acted in a film. Before making the film I had never been outside Maharashtra and now I have travelled outside abroad as well," Namdev said sharing his happiness.
"It is like living a life, I never even dreamt of. We would always talk about all of these actors. All of these people from a very young age have worked really hard to reach where they are today and getting a nomination alongside Amitabhji and Manojji feels unreal to me," he said.
It may be mentioned here that Bulbul Can Sing (BCS), an Assamese feature film directed by National Awardee Rima Das, will open the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), 2019.
BCS' opening night screening will be attended by the festival's Chief Guest, Shah Rukh Khan who will present the film to the Australian audiences in Melbourne on August 8.
