On this episode of Anything But Bollywood Neha is in the studio with actor Shahnawaz Bhat who starred in the film 'Half Widow' which was screened at the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival. Listen in as Shahnawaz talks about growing up in Kashmir, the lack of opportunities for artists there, and range of experiences working on indies like 'Harud' to a mainstream Bollywood film like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'.

00:48 Shanawaaz Intro 01:24 How did acting happen? 02:43 Preparation for 'Harud' 05:10 Growing up in Kashmir 08:18 Learning from Aamir Bashir 09:49 Festival experience 11:39 Kashmiri language/audience 16:02 Experience on 'Half-widow' 18:32 Acting & relatability 19:50 Experience on 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' 22:20 Biding time between roles 24:26 State of filmmaking in Kashmir 26:14 The story of 'disappeared men' 30:01 Has perspective changed? 34:32 Role of art & creativity in Kashmir 35:40 Dealing with fear in a conflict zone 38:40 Ideal roles 40:00 Pointers for directors & actors 42:46 Recommendation

Check out Shahnawaz's body of work here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3919952/

Here's the trailer for 'Half Widow' : https://youtu.be/k_ITMZMsdwU

You can watch 'Harud' on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/70153553

Shahnawaz's film recommedation: Underground (1995, Dir: Emir Kusturica) https://youtu.be/iKdl5r7_ZPc

(Note: This episode was recorded before the horrific incidents that took place in Kathua in J & K)

For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak

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