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Cinequest 2025 San Jose premiers Nawazuddin starrer film
The film festival is being held in San Jose from Mar.11 to Mar.23.
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Film director Aditya Kripalani, actress Chitrangada Satarupa and executive producer Shweta Chhabria answered audience questions. / Ritu Marwah
"I'm Not an Actor" (also known as "Main Actor Nahin Hoon"), a 2025 Hindi and English-language drama starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa premiered at the 2025 Cinequest Film Festival San Jose, March 11 to 23.
The film unfolded in two locales. In the first scene of the film, a beautifully emotive, 35-year-old Mouni Roy (Chitrangada Satarupa), a seasoned actor in Mumbai, and Adnan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a novice 55-year-old retired banker turned actor, in Frankfurt prepare to audition for a movie. While Mouni breaks down in tears Adnan struggles to unleash his internal anguish and channel it into a performance for the camera. His amazement at this emotions-on-demand performance by the seasoned actress leads him to beg for lessons from her. She agrees to teach him on her terms.
For one training day, two troubled souls mirror behaviors across the globe, connected umbilically through the internet cable in their phones. When she steps into a local train in Mumbai, he steps onto the metro; When he walks the riverfront, she walks the Mumbai streets. At each turn, the teacher emotes him through fears and life experiences till he complains that though he has shared innermost secrets with her she has not. Is she an orphan left at the orphanage as the children around her got picked by their new parents?
In the penultimate scene when Adnan enters his home she sees the nonchalant luxury and her dream of Shakespeare’s globe theatre so casually dismissed. In a final fit of pique, she forces the actor to take her to his deepest, darkest pain.
The movie's climax left many questions in the minds of the audience.
Post the screening, the film director Aditya Kripalani, executive producer Shweta Chhabri,a and the very talented actress Chitrangada Satarupa answered the questions from the audience.
As the audience left the theatre there were raw emotions unleashed. Just as the protagonist actress had triggered the doctor the movie had managed to release the triggers within the audience. The ending was discussed endlessly.
“The final scene was created on the spot. We had planned a different ending but as we shot the ending the story took a different turn,” said the director.
The film was shot simultaneously across India and Germany over 28 days, with both lead actors performing their scenes live via video chat. “The idea of the film being shot over Zoom was conceived during Covid times when Director Aditya and his wife executive producer Shweta were living in Singapore and unable to shoot any films,” said Julia Novik, the team member from Frankfurt.
“How did you snag Nawazuddin Siddiqui for your movie?” asked an audience member. The director said he found himself inadvertently talking to the star when he commented on Nawazuddin’s messages on the web. He then convinced the Bollywood star over a series of chats to act in his film. Within 48 days they had to be ready to shoot the film!!
Auditions over the web have become the new post-Covid reality, said Aditya. “ Even within the same city we often audition actors over Zoom now.”
Kripalani is a filmmaker, writer, musician and producer. He is best known for his films Tikli and Laxmi Bomb, Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal and Not Today. Chitrangada Satarupa has acted in four of his five films.
Cinequest LUMINATE Film & Creativity Festival can be experienced at California theatre and 3Below in San Jose.
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