Internationally, it’s turning out to be a good week for Pakistan. Saba Qamar got a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor (female) in a Leading Role in Hindi Medium, Mohsin Hamid’s Exist West has made it to the top five finalists for the US Book Critics Award and the most exciting news for us: Kumail Nanjiani’s The Big Sick picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Nanjiani co-wrote the film with his wife, Emily V Gordon and after the nominations were announced he tweeted:
So, it seems that Pakistan is headed back to the Academy Awards with Pakistani-American comedian Kumail Nanjiani’s The Big Sick, a film about his and his wife’s true and unique love story that has comic undertones. Nanjiani moved to the US when he was 18 and has a double major in Computer Studies and Philosophy but it was his passion for acting and comedy that landed him small roles in over a dozen movies and a regular spot on Saturday Night Live since 2008. The Big Sick threw him in the spotlight and this Academy Award nomination places him higher on the Hollywood food chain. We bet his classmates at Karachi Grammar School wish they had made more of an effort to stay in touch!
