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Azhar Khan on romancing Celina Jaitly in Season’s Greetings: I was nervous because she is such a big star

Azhar Khan made his acting debut with director Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s Season’s Greetings. The movie was a tribute to Rituparno Ghosh and was set against the backdrop of LGBTQ.


Azhar got an opportunity to work with actors like Celina Jailty and Lillete Dubey in the film. When we recently interacted with the actor, we asked him about his experience of working with both the actresses, to which, Azhar said, “It was a very good experience with both of them. They are great actors and I was fortunate to work with them. Lillete Dubey ma’am is a great actor. I learned a lot from her, she helped us during our scenes. So, it was quite learning from both of them. The environment on the sets was very good.”

Azhar was paired opposite Celina in the film, so when asked if he was nervous to romance the actress, he said, “Of course, but if you don’t think that you are romancing Celina Jaitly and you are romancing the character, then definitely there was nothing. So, I was actually romancing Romita over there and it was quite easy for me. But of course, I was nervous because she is such a  big star and before the scene, I went up to her and I asked her, ‘Celina, just tell me what are you comfortable with, let’s just discuss the scene first’. So, she helped me a lot in that, we discussed the scenes and it came out well as you can see in the film.”

Well, of course in the film Azhar has romanced Celina Jaitly, but when we asked him if he would be open to playing a gay character and would be comfortable in romancing another actor, Azhar said, “Yes, definitely! As you can see my hair, maybe I will definitely get a role something like that. But I am comfortable in my skin, I have no issues. As long as it’s a character and if you are portraying it well then I don’t think there’s any harm in doing it.”

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Riz Ahmed’s 'Hamlet' trailer drops murder suspicion into a South Asian business dynasty

Riz Ahmed’s Hamlet trailer exposes a South Asian family empire in crisis

Youtube Screengrabs/Universal Pictures UK

Riz Ahmed’s 'Hamlet' trailer drops murder suspicion into a South Asian business dynasty

Highlights:

  • Hamlet trailer lands with Riz Ahmed in the lead role
  • Film sets Shakespeare inside a wealthy British South Asian family
  • Directed by Aneil Karia and in cinemas 6 February 2025
  • Cast includes Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn, Sheeba Chadha and Art Malik

Riz Ahmed has entered Hamlet in a way British cinema has not quite seen. The new Hamlet trailer has been released by Universal, giving the first proper look at Aneil Karia’s modern take on Shakespeare and placing the story inside a British South Asian business empire. It is due in cinemas on 6 February, and the footage shows a tense, controlled Ahmed moving through grief, suspicion and family power.

The film teams Ahmed and Karia again after The Long Goodbye, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. That success informs this production. This is the first time a major UK studio release has grounded Hamlet within a South Asian household for a wide audience.

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