Swapping your real-estate agent job for a lead role in a Bollywood film may sound like the stuff of fairytales. But Dubai hopeful Naren Kumar, who sold houses, is living that dream. The 28-year-old actor is the star of the UAE-set Hindi film Dollars, announced its director Sameer Khan.
“We went through 3,000 faces before shortlisting Naren, who grew up in Dubai,” said Khan.
Kumar is currently undergoing training workshops on acting, martial arts, diction and diologue delivery classes in Mumbai to prepare for his role.
“He plays Arun Gokhale, a topper in maths. He’s a poor boy from the slums of Mumbai who lands a job in Dubai. We needed somebody who looked intelligent and Naren fit the bill,” said Khan. It’s his first attempt at directing a feature film. Produced by his company Times Square Entertainment in collaboration with Ashwini Sehdev and Vinod Adnani, a major part of the film will be shot in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Jordan. Kumar may look the part of the nerd, but there was a bit of unlearning involved.
“I had to get that elitism out of him. Remember Naren is playing the role of a poor boy so if he drove around in a BMW in Dubai and stayed in air-conditioned homes, he just won’t look the part. So I gave him a few dares as a part of the auditioning process,” said Khan. His tasks included making his discovery travel to a remote slum in Mumbai with just Rs10 (Dh80fills) in his pocket, gate-crashing a filming studio and breaking into a dance in a crowded restaurant without any music in the background.
“We did it all. It wasn’t easy. Travelling on Mumbai trains is a mission and I had to learn the technique of just entering the train during the peak hours. But when I look back on all of it, I feel good about surviving the tests,” said Kumar in an interview from Mumbai. Kumar, who studied in Our Own English High School, will be accompanied by another new face, Arjun Behl from Mumbai. It’s a tale of two men from Mumbai who land a job in the UAE and embark on this Middle Eastern adventure.
“You will see the real Dubai. I will take my viewers to the fish markets, the heritage and cultural hubs of Dubai. I want to show that this region is not just about Shaikh Zayed Roads and fast cars,” said Khan. He intends to start the first leg of shooting in Dubai on July 11. A formal launch unveiling the new faces will be held in Dubai soon.
