MUMBAI: Gaurav Chopraa is a well known face in the Television industry. He has a massive fan following and has even left a mark in Hollywood with the Leonardo Dicaprio starrer Hollywood film Blood Diamonds in 2006. The actor opens up about how he got the part in this blockbuster film without any test or audition.

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Gaurav told a news portal, “When I decided to go for it, I was told 'pagal ho (are you mad)? you just became a star here and you want to go to South Africa for a theatre production? You have just started commanding a price, you are stupid'. But I did not want to leave the opportunity so I went and the show went very well.”

Gaurav added, “Some casting guys based in Africa saw the show and showed it to director Edward Zwick. Then, I came back to India and I got a call and somebody told me 'Ed would like to speak to you'. I was 'Who is Ed?' How can you expect Ed to be Edward Zwick - the man who has made The Last Samurai - to be that Ed? I was like 'who is playing a prank here?' So then, he came on the other side and said 'man you have some energy. I saw how you sing, dance, and act. I also saw some of your interviews and I just want you to be part of my film. I was llike 'this guy sounds like he is important, he must be someone'. How is anybody supposed to imagine they'd get a call from Edward Zwick? I spoke to others, did my Googling and started jumping when I realised what it was.”

Gaurav further said, “You had to understand Blood Diamond happened at a time when nobody...Irrfan saab, Priyanka Chopra... nobody has moved to Hollywood. To go there and shoot with the primary cast was huge. I must add Leonardo Di Caprio was the biggest star on the planet, at the peak of his game. And here was this guy from India with long hair and heavy stubble, sitting there and discussing 'I think we should do this'. And Ed was also like ‘yes, let us try this’. So Leo came and was so annoyed that he has been working with Ed and along comes this tall, lanky guy and he has changed the way this thing has to be shot. But that is how nice they are. They listen to you and if it makes sense, it makes sense. That changed my understanding of my self-belief. I started taking myself seriously.”

On his part in Blood Diamonds being cut short, Gaurav added, “There was no disappointment, just a wish of a young actor that if more of his stuff had come, things could have been different.”

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Credit-HindustanTimes