Filmmaker Mira Nair and actress Shabana Azmi recently spoke at the New York Indian Film Festival. Nair, who is known for her work in Hollywood, shared an interesting fact during her conversation that Tom Cruise has a clause in his contract according to which people cannot look into his eyes on the film set.

Mira and Shabana were discussing the importance of actors connecting with common people. When Shabana was explaining how she stays grounded while playing fictional characters on screen, the filmmaker interrupted and said, “It’s written in Tom Cruise’s contract that you can’t make eye contact with him. You’re not allowed to look into his eyes.”

Shocked, Shabana asked, “Why?” to which Meera replied, “I don’t know! But it’s in the contract, I’m telling you. Serious. Maybe he thinks people will drain his energy, maybe he wants to save it for the screen. I don’t know. But it’s true.”

Shabana looked shocked and wondered how the Top Gun actor would talk to his co-stars if he couldn’t look into their eyes. Mira laughed and said, “The actors and directors can look at him. But they can’t look into his eyes.” ordinary people (Common people). I’m telling you. Anyway, it can change. I shouldn’t speak so much about someone I’ve just seen and who I haven’t been able to see… But in any case, it’s true.”

Tom Cruise has starred in several ‘Mission: Impossible’ films, with the upcoming ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two’ scheduled to be released in 2025.

Meanwhile, Shabana revealed how she keeps her energy up even after so many years in the acting profession. She said, “The resource base of an actor should be life. When you are aware of everything that is happening around you, that is the fuel, that is the experience. Because what happens with stars is that as they grow older, they become completely away from life. They go into an ivory tower, and there is no possibility of even a little contact with the real world.”