School with lnaaz Norouzi
her Emmy Awards 2019 and Elnaaz said that she could not contain her excitement after hearing the news.
“I was in shock for the first five minutes after reading the news. My first reaction after that was to call Anurag (Kashyap, co-director) sir and Vikram (Motwane, codirector) sir. It took me a day to realise how huge it was and that we got nominated. It has always been a dream for me to be able to work on good projects that get nominated by the big renowned awards in America and here we are! It was a great feeling.”
Streaming services have created a huge opportunity for filmmakers to produce unique content. It has also opened up a huge window for actors.
“There is so much content being made on all different platforms. It’s great to see co star Nawazuddin Siddique
stories which can’t be told through films or mainstream cinema find an outlet in the form of web series days. Moreover, this also creates opportunities for actors to get more work,” Elnaaz said.
The Khan magic
Many budding actors have looked up to superstars for inspiration and in Elnaaz’s case, it was King Khan, aka Shah Rukh Khan, who drew her to India to start a career in Bollywood.
“I used to watch Shah Rukh sir’s films, and the love for him and his films made me decide to relocate to India and to pursue acting in Bollywood. At that time, I didn’t know how hard it (acting) actually would be, but I’m glad I did it.”
Besides SRK, Elnaaz also has a “secret crush” on Vicky Kaushal.
“Vicky is a brilliant actor. I think he is super good looking too. I would love to work with him in the future.”
Working in the movie industry is a high-pressure job, but for Elnaaz, having worked for more than 10 years as a model for international brands like Dior, Lacoste and Le Coq Sportive to name a few, the demands and pressures of showbiz is a given.
“As a model one constantly goes for castings and I remember how hard it was to land the big jobs. There are 50-100 models at each casting and you want to be the one landing a show or a shoot. It’s a lot of pressure and it can get to you. I always used to tell myself that it’s fine if I don’t get a job and that I don’t need to beat myself up over not landing it. I’d go for castings very relaxed and being myself. I guess people feel that and like that about you. Also, I’m quick and this works for clients who love to wrap up shoots in no time.”
Future looks bright
Movies made by Iranian filmmakers have been critically acclaimed worldwide and have even won Oscars. Being fluent in the language, would Elnaaz consider doing Iranian movies in the future?
“Any day,” she said. “I would surely love to be part of an Iranian film. We have such fantastic filmmakers and being part of the films I grew up watching, would be a dream,” Elnaaz added
Nonetheless, Elnaaz is busy working on some new projects in India, one of which is the Tamil thriller Jana Gana Mana. The movie stars award-winning Tamil star Jayam Ravi and Taapsee Pannu. One of the reasons