Mumbai: Actor and "Bigg Boss Halla Bol" winner Gautam Gulati, who will make his Bollywood debut with "Azhar", hopes the biopic will open doors of the film industry for him.
Asked if he was offered lead roles post his success on "Bigg Boss", Gautam told IANS: "Not yet... People are actually waiting for 'Azhar' to get released. I am in touch with a lot of people. People want to see my work before they really like me, but they haven't seen my work."
"I hope I will get good films after 'Azhar'. Most of the people tell me I am hero material but haven't been offered lead roles. But I feel this film will open doors for me," he added.
Gautam, who will portray former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri in "Azhar", says his role is inspired by various cricketers.
"My role in the film is inspired not only by Ravi Shastri, but many cricketers. I had to go through a lot of videos because there are so many that I needed to get the accent (right). I have taken workshops for more than a month before I started working on this character," he said.
"Azhar", a biopic on the life of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, will feature actor Emraan Hashmi in the title role.
The film, directed by TonyD'Souza, also features Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri and Lara Dutta. "Azhar" is slated to release on May 13.