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 National School Of Drama alumni Indira Tiwari, who will be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', talks about her journey so far.

"I feel blessed that I got selected for NSD from where many fine gems like Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Ji, Nawazuddin Siddiqui passed out. And, of course it adds lot of credibility to my dreams, and has helped me grow as an actor. When you come from such a background people's expectations are much higher, they want you to be a one-take artiste who is extremely well trained," she says.

Her debut is Suman Mukhopadhyay's 'Nazarband'. The film, at the moment, is travelling to various national and international festivals including Busan Film Festival, New York Indian Film Festival, London Indian Film Festival and Florence Indian Film Festival. Her most popular film is Sudhir Mishra's 'Serious Men'.

Indira also feels lucky to be a part of 'Serious Men'. "Coming from the same school, Nawazuddin and I became good friends while working on the film. His vibes on set and off-camera were so positive, light, calm that it was easier for me to connect with him. He was so much in the moment, fun, comfortable and would often crack jokes. I enjoyed his company and learned a lot from him. Sudhir sir was another reason for me to feel lucky. He is a wonderful filmmaker and treated me as he treated Nawaz. He never made me feel like a newcomer," she adds.

Indira will be seen next in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'. The film is going to have its world premiere at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival and would be releasing in theatres on February 18, 2022.

Expressing excitement that 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' will release in 2022, she says, "I can't talk much about the film and my role but this one is very special to me because I worked with my dream director. It felt like a true journey of weaving the perfection in reality with my master."

Speaking on how the pandemic has changed the way we think and live, and how this year has been for her and what she is looking forward to in the next, Indira adds that it's her positive attitude that gets her going.

"I have learnt 'patience and slowness' during the pandemic. I have also been able to connect with my spiritual side. So, I only have gratitude for 2021. I believe in affirmations so I affirm that I want my 2022 to be much better. I wish to work on good scripts with brilliant directors and fine actors," she adds.

Indira also points out another positive thing that happened in showbiz amid the pandemic and that is the OTT boom. "We are so thankful to all OTT platforms that opened the space with more possibilities and opportunities for everyone. They provide different content to all the audience of every age group. Story is now the hero. In another way, things have become vast enough to make anyone the hero of the story, breaking all the stereotypes and cliches," she explains.