Midnight Star

Bhabha's family was supportive of his career choice even though the young actor is the son of a prominent academician in literature, Homi K Bhabha. However, like most Indian actors in the West, he had to await his turn for the big break. His perseverance finally paid off when he was offered Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. "It introduced me to many professional contacts and taught me my first few lessons in filmmaking," he recalls. Midnight's Children soon followed, and this time, he had to stand up to the expectations of an entire nation, playing a character so revered from a book that is cherished by millions.

Not the one to let go of this opportunity, Bhabha had chalked out a special schedule to prepare for his role. "I prepared extensively by reading about the history of India, watching many films and studying Hindi, as well as in a more spiritual or esoteric fashion," he explains. Bhabha's great challenge came with playing the Bombay boy, a city he had visited only on vacations. So, exploring Saleem's — and at times Rushdie's — Bombay, was extremely exciting; it revealed a different city to him. "The experience of travelling around the city, driving a scooter and travelling in the trains changed me forever," he states.

While the actor is busy waiting for his journey to shape up further, he has completed directing his first short film and is in the process of developing a TV show as both writer and director.

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