Life changed after Sacred Games, says Elnaaz Norouzi

Life changed after Sacred Games, says Elnaaz Norouzi

Sacred Games is definitely a big break for me in the film industry and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Manasi Y MastakarUpdated: Sunday, October 13, 2019, 10:46 AM IST
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Elnaaz Norouzi |

My foray into the film industry was no accident. I have always wanted to be an actor since childhood. I always had the dream and started working into making it a reality some four years back.

Auditioning for the role in Sacred Games was one of the hardest things that I have done in my life. Before this, I had auditioned for numerous films and two of the projects that I was supposed to do, got dropped. But, I didn’t give up and kept working on myself, my Hindi and acting and dancing skills. So, when I auditioned for Sacred Games I was ready and the makers liked me for the role.

Life has changed after Sacred Games. I won’t deny it. People now know me as an actor and not a model any more. They know that I can speak Hindi as well, since I dubbed for Sacred Games myself and that’s a huge change in my life. People used to ask if I can speak Hindi and most of the people wouldn’t want to meet me because they didn’t want to waste their time meeting a foreign model who didn’t know how to say even a word on Hindi. Well, that has changed and also the fact that people recognise me now. That’s pretty cool.

Sacred Games is definitely a big break for me in the film industry and I wouldn’t have it any other way! It wasn’t a conventional “launch”, but it was the best I could have. I realized how fortunate I was to get to play such a diverse character.

Working alongside big stars such as Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been a bliss. I have become a better actor after working with these amazing actors who taught me how to be humble despite being as successful as they are. I can’t wait to work with them again.

I hail from Iran and I am fluent in seven languages: Farsi, German, English, French, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. And that is a huge help for me as an actor...it is it is very hard to get a break in the industry and if you can’t speak the language well, I guess you won’t stand a chance to get work in Bollywood.

When I started off, I was told the film industry is a hard place for an outsider, something I did experience. I was told my chances are one percent. Well, now, I know they were right. Everyone wants to become an actor in Mumbai and coming from another country and trying to make it big seems impossible until and unless you are persistent and don’t give up at all. I was rejected almost 100 times, but it did work out the 101th time...which is ok, I’m known for not giving up.

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