Nagesh Kukunoor’s 2005 film Iqbal proved to be a game-changer for Shreyas Talpade. The small-budget film opened to big numbers and emerged as a critical success too. A year later, the story of a deaf and mute boy from a remote village who aspires to join the Indian National Cricket Team was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. As Iqbal turns 20, Shreyas exclusively speaks to News18 Showsha and discusses this ‘life-changing’ event. Iqbal happened to him thanks to a small character he was supposed to essay in Nagesh’s other film. “I received a phone call from my friend to go and meet Mr Kukunoor for another film where I was to play a smaller role. I was desperate to do films at that time and I was ready to even stand in a scene or say one dialogue. I met him and things completely changed,” he recalls. But Iqbal’s success was unexpected, especially since it clashed with Salman Khan’s No Entry. “Subhash (Ghai; producer) ji had hosted so many previews that we kept wondering ki kaun aayega release ke din kyunki bahot saare logon ne film already previews mein dekh liye. He had invited the entire industry. He was so proud of the film. It released alongside No Entry. It was a big film with a big star cast. I kept wondering, who will even watch our film,” Shreyas exclaims. So, what changed? “Those who couldn’t watch No Entry due to house full shows ended up watching Iqbal. They were referring to our film as Naseeruddin Shah aur Girish Karnad ki picture. When they came out, they had a very different emotion. The word-of-mouth spread so fast. And what followed was frenzy! There were shows kept for schools and colleges. There were lectures on Iqbal in management schools. Everything felt so surreal,” shares the Om Shanti Om and Housefull 5 actor. So convincing was Shreyas’ performance in the film that following the first day first show, audiences congratulated him through sign language. “On the day of its release, Nagesh and I went to a theatre during the first show. I was standing behind him. They saw him and congratulated him for making a lovely film. And when they saw me, they started interacting in sign language. They thought that I cannot speak or hear. When I said thank you, they were shocked that I could speak (laughs),” he tells us. With Iqbal hitting 20 years, Shreyas says he’s overwhelmed by ‘a special feeling’. For him, Iqbal’s rise runs parallel to his own and that’s why he’ll always hold the film very close to his heart. “I was just a theatre guy from a middle-class family with no film connections, who suddenly came on the big screen with a film like Iqbal. My parents were so happy and proud. I got married on December 31. And a day later, on January 1, I took the first flight to Hyderabad and began shooting for Iqbal. But none of my friends knew. They were surprised when they watched the film,” Shreyas remarks.