Nawaz-Nicole pairing a bluff

Last week, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s PR team went on an overdrive about how he was going to star opposite celebrated Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman in Garth Davis’ Lion. Needless to say, it made big news due to the unusual pairing and the fact that an Indian actor was being paired with a Hollywood star. However, scratching the surface a little revealed that the talk is more fluff than fact.

Turns out that while both the actors will play a part in the film, they aren’t directly paired opposite each other. Said a source close to the film, “We’re not sure how the word got out, but fact is that Nawaz doesn’t have a single shot with Nicole. They don’t even come face-to-face in the film.” The first schedule of the film begins in Kolkata next week.

Spilling more details, the source says, “Lion is a true story based on Saroo Brierley’s autobiographical account of his search for his family. Actor Dev Patel plays the main character of Saroo.” “There is also a child actor who plays the younger version of Saroo, and they are in the film throughout. The other actors including Nawazuddin, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Nicole Kidman play characters who meet Dev Patel on his journey,” the source adds.