'Maharashtrian prawns and drinks': How 65-year-old driver Namdev Gaurav will celebrate if he beats Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana & Vicky Kaushal at IFFM

First film, nominated alongside the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, and a chance to even trump them. We are not talking about a child actor or a young face, but a 65-year-old. The best part is that Namdev Gaurav is not even a trained actor, but is the chauffeur for socialite Chhaya Momaya. The ‘newcomer’ has been honoured for his role in ‘Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence’ by the jury of the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. 

(Source: http://www.iffm.com.au)

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Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Manoj Bajpayee, Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal and Vijay Sethupathi are well-known names in the country and abroad, so naturally the lone unknown face Namdev Gaurav would stoke curiosity.  

It was a case of real-life coming to life in reel, as the film also revolves around the life of a driver who, fed up with the chaos in Mumbai, heads to Ladakh for peace.        

As per reports, only a part of the film’s story draws parallels to real-life as Gaurav has happily been the driver for the Momaya family for 25 years. Chhaya’s son and producer of the movie, Dheer Momaya, in an interview with a tabloid revealed that it was director Dar Gai’s decision to cast him in the movie. After a few interactions, the filmmaker was convinced about his ‘cinematic appeal’. Though the spark of showcasing subtle expressions was there, Gaurav needed weeks-long workshops to be ready for the big screen outing.   

All of that worked out beautifully since even big banners of the country like Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions have contacted him to audition for various roles.   

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The winner is scheduled to be announced on Friday. As per reports,  Gaurav stated that he went out of Maharashtra for the first time to attend the event. He also said that he’d celebrate with Maharashtrian Jhinga (prawns) and drinks if he wins.