Acclaimed producer Dheer Momaya’s film ‘Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence’ has been officially selected for the prestigious Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IIFM), scheduled from 8thAugust to 17th August, 2019.

The film's lead actor, 65-year-old Namdev Gaurav who is a real-life driver of Dheer’s family has been nominated in the Best Actor category of the film festival along with superstar Amitabh Bachchan (for Badla), Ayushmann Khurrana and Manoj Bajpayee for Andhadhun and Bhonsle respectively.

(Photo Credits: File Image)

Directed by Dar Gai, Namdev Bhau revolves around the life of Namdev Gaurav, who is tired of the noisy life of Mumbai and leaves the town in search of a 'Silent Valley'. What follows is his journey to find peace and meeting people from different walks of life.

Talking about what made him cast a chauffeur as the lead in his film, producer Dheer Momaya says, “Namdev Bhau inherently has a sense of relaxed urgency about him. That coupled with boundary-less wit are great to recreate emotions naturally for 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."

"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. 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", says Namdev Gaurav on his nomination.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).