In a surprising turn of events in the middle of the night amid a sleepless battle with mosquitoes, Ishwak Singh received the news that he has triumphed at the Stars Asian International Film Festival, securing the prestigious Best Actor award for his movie Berlin.

Recounting the honour at that unexpected hour, Singh shares, “Life doesn’t fail to surprise you. I had broken sleep, woke up in the middle of the night, hating the mosquito that was biting me, and was so irritated.” Which is when he saw his director’s (Atul Sabharwal) urgent messages from the US: “I called him, and he told me that I’ve won the award, and the event is in the next hour!”

Singh, who is still processing the accolade, acknowledges the significance of being recognized on an international platform, particularly among Hollywood’s luminaries present at the festival, saying, “It’s a big deal, and it’s amazing, as there were so many huge Hollywood stars sitting there. They are aware of my work, and Atul told me that they really loved the performance and wanted to meet me. It feels great.”

Regarding the broader impact of this accolade, Singh remarks, “It’s sort of a gateway to more possibilities, but you can’t really put a finger on it. I didn’t know that Berlin would reach this point. In our line of work, you can never be calculative in that sense.”

Reflecting on his portrayal of a deaf character in the movie, the 34-year-old actor lists out “the extensive preparation involved in understanding the community’s real issues, including mastering the intricate Indian Sign Language (ISL) to achieve authenticity on set”.