After winning praise in Laila Majnu, actor Avinash Tiwary elated to be roped in by Johar for Ghost Stories
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 12, 2019)

In Bollywood parlance, you have broken into the big league when you have bagged a Karan Johar project. So, one can imagine actor Avinash Tiwary's delight at having earned a place in the filmmaker's upcoming anthology, Ghost Stories.

"I never thought Karan Johar will cast me. As an outsider, this was a perception fed to me. So, finally, when the offer came my way, it validated my faith in my craft," says Tiwary, who — after some small but memorable roles in films — had critics sit up and take notice of him in Laila Majnu. "After [the debacle of] Laila Majnu, I had no expectations. I had waited two-and-a-half years for the film's release, but it was wiped out in a week's time. I was disappointed, but the film got a new lease of life post its release on an OTT platform," recounts Tiwary.

If Pakistani actor Mahira Khan took to Twitter to praise his performance, closer home, his work caught the attention of actor-producer Anushka Sharma. "For four months after the film's release, I had no offers coming my way. Then Anushka Sharma's production house approached me for Bulbul." Tiwary also has another promising project in The Girl On The Train with Parineeti Chopra.

On his part, the actor is most upbeat about Ghost Stories. "Karan Johar constantly seeks talent; he has his ear to the ground. He had not watched Laila Majnu, but he had heard of me. So when this project came to him, he sought me out. Working with him has done wonders to my self-confidence. Now, I feel as if I deserved this [validation] for long."