GRAZIA Cool LIST 2021

To say the past year has been like no other is an understatement. We have faced a deadly pandemic that has changed our lives in profound ways. But amid all this tragedy, there has also been resilience. While we continue to work to keep one another safe, we have found joy and community too. This year’s incredible group of cool kids, comprising actors, influencers, disruptors, and social change advocates, have worked against the odds to innovate, create, connect, and inspire

- HITANSHI KAMDAR, BARRY RODGERS

ACTOR

ADARSH GOURAV

It’s commendable and slightly surreal to think of what actor Adarsh Gourav has managed to achieve in the past few months. His stellar turn in the Priyanka Chopra Jonas-produced The White Tiger has earned him plaudits globally, which has even translated into a BAFTA nomination in the Lead Actor category. Given that actors working in Hindi cinema don’t usually have a history of successfully and comfortably transcending their cachet to a global platform, Gourav’s success comes as a breath of fresh air.

Before The White Tiger, the actor for instance, booked supporting roles in movies like Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan (2010), Ravi Udyawar’s Mom (2018), and in web-series like Leila (2019) and Hostel Daze (2019). Even his goosebump-inducing lead turn in Atanu Mukherjee’s Rukh (2018) came in an indie movie that flew largely under the radar. “Sometimes I feel like I’m living a dream and that someone will snap me out of it. I didn’t expect the global recognition to come this fast and furious. I got to work with the incredible Ramin Bahrani (the director), Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Rajkummar Rao. Sharing screen space with Raj bhai was particularly great because of the kind of work he’s done in the past 10-12 years. I met Priyanka for the first time at her house. I was so nervous on the way there because I’ve grown up watching her films,” he says.