Exclusive! On Leonardo DiCaprio's 45th Birthday, Television Star Gaurav Chopra Talks About Working with The Hollywood Star in Blood Diamond

Just in case you did not know our very own Indian TV superstar Gaurav Chopra has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio. The two featured together in the movie named, Blood Diamond, 2006. Back then, Gaurav was a beloved star in Africa, thanks to his lead role in the Broadway musical, Bombay Crush, which was immensely popular. "I was playing the lead in Bombay Crush. I got so popular and because Bombay Crush was so successful that more avenues opened up for me," Gaurav told LatestLY in an exclusive interview. This association and his talent are what led to Gaurav landing a role in director Edward Zwick's Hollywood film. On Leonardo's 45th birthday, Gaurav opened up about his experience of working with him.

Gaurav loved the time he spent on the sets of Blood Diamond. He said, "The experience lasted about 16-17 days. They always say that the flavour of the film or TV sets always depends on who the captain of the ship is, and I think Edward Zwick, the director, who maintained the affable friendliness. That warm comfort. It was a set where people were there from all parts of the world." Leonardo DiCaprio Birthday: From Climate Change to Animal Welfare, Social Causes Undertaken by Oscar-Winning Actor.

Opening about Leonardo, Gaurav said, "The first thing that strikes you about Leo is how tall he is. He is as tall as I am," adding, "On screen, he has got this child-like face, not now but in 2005, right till The Aviator. He had a boyish face. In Titanic he had a cutie face. So, probably that is why you don't expect him to be this tall. I didn't personally."

"We were cordial and friendly," he continued, "There was a little joke about me being an Italian actor. I had long hair. Some girls on the sets who thought I looked nice, started calling me names. There was a whole joke about me Antonio somebody who has come from Italy."

"The Antonio joke must have reached him so he was very intrigued by how that came about," Gaurav said.

Gaurav revealed that The Inception actor was intrigued by Indian culture. He said, "Djimon Hounsou was a little quiet. Leo was more conversational. He was very intrigued about India as a country and its culture. He was intrigued by the scale of the film industry in our country."

Gaurav said he felt like a brand ambassador for India on the sets as many think we still are a land of snake charmers. "I remember telling him that one of the richest men in the world is in my city. Right outside his bungalow are beggars on the street. He was intrigued."

"In my conversation with him, I was trying to tell him that we have science behind many beliefs. I was telling him about the astrological stone that I was wearing and the fact that we have our own science behind it. About the colour of the stone and why it has to touch the skin. He found all of that to be very interesting," Gaurav added.

Check Out Gaurav's Scene with Leonardo Here:

Well, we hope we get to see Gaurav and Leonardo working together soon. And maybe this time we can ask Leonardo about how he felt about working with the Indian hottie.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2019 08:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).