CLASS OF 2011

Never mind the scathing reviews that 7 Khoon Maaf has been garnering since its release,the one find of the movie is undoubtedly the young and talented Vivaan Shah.

Never mind the scathing reviews that 7 Khoon Maaf has been garnering since its release,the one find of the movie is undoubtedly the young and talented Vivaan Shah. The youngest son of veteran actors Naseerudin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah stood out amid an experienced bunch of actors and showed he had the mettle to make it to the big league. All this at the age of 21,when he is still grappling with text books on English literature and History. Cinema is a very academic and intellectual exercise. The fact that I was living in a world of books and pencils helped me apply a profound approach to my work, says Shah.

Shah isnt the only one who is dabbling in films at a young age. With cinematic themes getting younger and edgier and filmmakers scripting high school romances,actors now start young. Karan Johars next Student of The Year will have three young debutantes Alia Bhatt,Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra hoping to make their mark. Roshan Abbas directorial debut Always Kabhie Kabhie has six 21-year-olds making their debut; leading the pack are Zoa Morani and Satyajeet Dubey. Yashraj Films tentatively titled Friendship will have 21-year-old Haarsh Nagar and Sana (the little girl from Chachi 420 ) hoping to click with the audiences. The average age has come down from 23 and 24,to 20 and 21 in the industry, says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. This is simply because the industry has opened more doors to youngsters in terms of film content.

For some actors,it was an undying love for their art,while for others it was destiny that made them choose this path at a young age. There are many greats today who started young like Sachin Tendulkar and Leonardo diCaprio. I started young as I was fortunate to get work with Yash Raj Films, says Nagar,who is also doing a French production. For Morani,on the other hand,academics never stood a chance; she was four years old when she decided to become an actor. As soon as I completed my 10th grade,I opted for a correspondence course and started assisting Farah Khan in Om Shanti Om. I went for every audition I heard about before I finally got selected for Always Kabhie Kabhie, she says.

Johar and Abbas,both making high school romances,were very sure about their choice of actors. The body language of an 18-year-old or a 20-year-old is very different from someone pretending to play the age. Besides,they can be easily moulded and are open to suggestions, says Abbas,who had a fun time shooting with the youngsters. But you do lose your patience at times,because they just ask you too many innocent questions,and the shoot takes longer to finish, says Abbas. But all this is a minor hiccup for Abbas,who otherwise prefers the younger lot.

In Bollywood,actors are known to enter the industry after an acting course or a few workshops. But Shah feels that when you know its your calling,you should do it. I went into Vishal (Bhardwaj) Sirs office with the aim to say no. When I spoke to him,I just knew that acting is my true calling, he recalls. There are also the advantages of testing the waters early. Nagar lists some. You have more time to build a long career; people are kind and help you during. Also you can do both youthful and mature roles,which isnt possible if you start late. For Morani it is all about spending a lot of time with something she really loves.

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