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    EXCLUSIVE: Deepak Tijori ECSTATIC for his first ever nomination in his 35-year-old career for Echoes Of Us; BREAKS silence on 90s snubs: “I was never nominated for Aashiqui, Sadak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa…after a point, I stopped checking the nominations… 35 : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

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    Deepak Tijori is on cloud nine. He has been nominated for the Best Actor award at the Independent Short Awards, Los Angeles, USA for his role in the short film Echoes Of Us. One might wonder why anyone would celebrate a nomination. But then, this is a significant development in the 35-year-long career of the actor as this is his first ever nomination. How come an actor who has given several memorable performances and been a part of several loved films has never even been nominated, forget winning the award? Deepak Tijori spoke exclusively to Bollywood Hungama about this and a lot more.

    EXCLUSIVE: Deepak Tijori ECSTATIC for his first ever nomination in his 35-year-old career for Echoes Of Us; BREAKS silence on 90s snubs: “I was never nominated for Aashiqui, Sadak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa…after a point, I stopped checking the nominations… 35 : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

    EXCLUSIVE: Deepak Tijori ECSTATIC for his first ever nomination in his 35-year-old career for Echoes Of Us; BREAKS silence on 90s snubs: “I was never nominated for Aashiqui, Sadak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa…after a point, I stopped checking the nominations…

    Congratulations on the honour at the Independent Short Awards …
    (Smiles). Thanks. It’s a nomination. I have not yet won the award. There was a time in my life in the 90s when I was working on a lot of films. After my films became super-hits, I used to look at the list of nominations. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my name in any of the films I’ve worked on, including Aashiqui (1990), Sadak (1991), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994). I waited for 4-5 years and then I gave up looking at the nominations.

    Through his marketing agency, director Joe Rajan sent the film to various film festivals. After one such entry, he called and said, ‘Apne film ko ek aur laurel mil gaya’. I was happy and even got used to it. In 1 ½ months, we had received some 9 laurels, that is, we had been selected in 9 film festivals. This time, he told me, ‘Yeh laurel special hai’. I asked him, ‘Matlab?’. He replied, ‘You are nominated for the Best Actor award in LA’. I replied, ‘Dukhti rag pe haath mat rakh bhai’ (laughs)! He assured me that he was serious. Until I saw it on my laptop, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t expect it because when I never got a nomination here, toh wahan kya milega? Hence, it was a very overwhelming experience for me.

    Notwithstanding what happened in the 90s, I never held it against anybody. I am a positive person. I guess I didn’t fulfil the expectations of the jury at that time. Thankfully, the award and the reward that I got from the audience were a lot. It made me forget the fact that I have never been nominated. Even today, I continue to get that love and affection and that has been my ultimate award.

    As a result, this nomination was special. After all, when you give up and then something you’ve been waiting for pops up, it becomes all special. I thanked Joe and told him, ‘You and your film have become an important milestone for me’ (smiles).

    It was shocking to go through the nominations of the ’90s and realize that you were never nominated. I could sense some bias towards masala films too. Khiladi, for instance, wasn’t even nominated for its songs. And coming back to you, you gave such a great performance in Ghulam (1998). The same year, Om Puri was nominated in the Best Actor In A Supporting Role category for his role in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha but not you. Nothing against Mr Puri of course but your performance also deserved to be on the list especially if the former was mentioned. Hence, do you feel the jury was biased towards you as well?
    I don’t think so. Also, I never analyzed it because I am not that kind of person. I believe in karma, that is, jo meri kismat mein hai, woh mujhe milega.

    How did you bag Echoes Of Us?
    I had written the story. I was thinking ‘Pata nahin log kab denge mujhe aisa kaam’, in terms of the roles I desire. Hence, I wrote a story for myself. It was like making a demo reel for myself.

    Did you ever think of directing it yourself?
    No, as a lot of people are under the impression that ‘Deepak only wants to direct. He doesn’t want to act’. Hence, I particularly wanted somebody should come on board as director. Meanwhile, Joe and I were casual friends. One day, over a cup of coffee, we discussed this short film. He wanted to hear the story. He loved it and expressed the desire to direct it. He remarked, ‘You have written it like an international film’. That was the idea as I believe that we should reach out to the global audience if we can.

    How was it working with Joe Rajan?
    He elevated it into a massive film, which amazed me. I assumed that we would hire a bungalow or villa in Panchgani or Panvel for the shoot. But he insisted that we should shoot in Sri Lanka. It was a very exclusive villa located 7 hours away from Colombo. It was like a character in the film and suited the script.

    Usually, the unit in a short film consists of 20-25 people. For our short film, there were 80 people. Can you imagine? All the arrangements were made for food and accommodation. Then, Pooja Batra joined the film as one of the producers. She was also in sync with our vision.

    How many days did it take to shoot the film?
    We shot for 4-5 days in a place located at the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya. The town is beautiful and our villa was situated at such a height that we could see clouds beneath us. I complimented Joe on the venue selection. Your product can get elevated when you have a visionary and it was wonderful to associate with such a team. We were all together like a family.

    Your co-star in the film is Iulia Vantur…
    She was the other priceless gem that Joe brought out of the blue. She was a super surprise package. We didn’t expect that she would be such a good performer. We have known her as a singer or performer. But as an actor, we had no idea that she could deliver such a fine performance. I am sure she has more to offer as an actor and I hope she continues to do so.

    Since Iulia Vantur features as an actor, has Salman Khan seen Echoes Of Us?
    I have no idea. But I am sure he’s aware of it. His feedback always matters. We’ll get to hear about it soon.

    Besides Iulia, there’s another new girl in the film. Her name is Alessandra Whelan Merediz. She got a small but vibrant part. Her presence is quite striking. Another USP was the association of DOP Manoj Soni. The way he has shot is so wonderful. He knew that this film would be sent to interval festivals and hence, he shot the film accordingly.

    Also Read: Deepak Tijori calls Iulia Vantur “finest debut actor” as he speaks on collaborating with Romanian actress for Echoes of Us: “Her talent is undeniable”

    More Pages: Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar Box Office Collection

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