EXCLUSIVE | Samantha, first person I drove after learning to drive on Family Man's set: Shahab Ali aka Sajid
From performing plays in college to sharing screen space with Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha Akkineni, Shahab Ali aka Sajid has been winning hearts with his brilliant performance. His journey in the entertainment industry has been nothing short of a real-life success story, full of highs and lows. Shahab is currently enjoying the fruits of his hard work with the overwhelming response towards the second season of The Family Man.
In an exclusive, fun conversation with India TV, Shahab takes us through his journey of being an actor. Interestingly, the Family Man 2 actor started his professional career as a journalist working at a media house in Noida."It's been a long tough journey. My life changed after joining NSD (National School of Drama). I started as a theatre artist, worked with musical shows like Zangoora and Mughal-E-Azam for many years and then finally got Family Man."
He reveals that he just did not expect the love and accolades that came to him. "After season 2 people have been recognising me as Sajid. Wherever I go they call me Sajid. I never expected people are going to love my work so much. The response is extremely good and I feel overwhelmed."
Talking about his popularity on social media, he said, "My inbox is filled with messages, fan arts, and video edits. I have worked in popular musical shows but the response after Family Man is just huge."
On being asked if he had any inhibitions before taking up a role of a villain, "There is a tendency of typecasting actors in Bollywood. If the actor has done one kind of a role they want to cast him/her in the same sort of a character. Usi ke aas pass ke roles offer hote hain. I was a little scared initially but after reading the script and meeting Raj and DK I was confident. The way Raj and DK planned the role it was very balanced." Shahab further revealed that it was the first time he played a villain on screen.
Shahab who has a chilled-out personality said that to play such an intense character of Sajid he prepared himself mentally. He also gained weight to maintain the gravity of his role. "I tried not to smile. I remember DK sir telling me during my first shot that you don't smile because the moment you smile the character is gone. Then I thought ki character ko hi aesa bnate hain jo smile nhi karta and stoned face hai and are less expressive because that will make him unpredictable and really dangerous."
Shahab revealed that after playing Sajid's character for consecutive two seasons he has personally become serious and reserved. "Every time you play a character a part of it stays within you but I am happy that I did not carry any of his violent traits. But I am sure with time it's going to get better. It's a part of my process I totally get into the character while playing it on screen and after it's over I am completely out of it."
Shahab was delighted to share screen space with Manoj Bajpayee and Samantha. Sharing one of his most memorable moments from the series he said, "Before season 2, I did not know how to drive a car and I had six to seven scenes of driving. I had to drive the car in panic mode with intense dialogues. It was a nightmare for me. Production people gave me a fifteen-twenty minutes lesson and then I went to shoot. Samantha did not know that I was driving for the first time. Later, when I told her she was shocked."
Also read: EXCLUSIVE | My struggle ended the moment I reached Mumbai, Abhay Verma aka Kalyan from Family Man 2
Family Man Season 2 released on Amazon Prime on June 4. The series co-stars Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, Sunny Hinduja, Sharad Kelkar, and Shahab Ali.
Watch the full interview here:
