SON SHINE

An actor, a musician, a regular guy. And with the release of his first big film Dil Dosti Etc, Imaad Shah, son of Naseeruddin Shah, is hoping he gets the critics talking

My father’s identity gets me noticed in the industry, but to avoid complications, I think I am a half-good actor myself.” All of 21 and only two-film-old, but certainly not short of confidence or candour. That’s Imaad Shah. Actor. Musician. Boy next door. And son of Naseeruddin Shah.

Ahead of the release of his first major film, Dil Dosti Etc, a Prakash Jha production, co-starring Shreyas Talpade, Smriti Mishra and Nikita Anand, Imaad is relaxed though a lingering leg injury has him on his crutches. In November last year, he fell off a crowded Mumbai local train while traveling to college. The accident underlined the rather non-starry lifestyle of a star son, a rarity in Bollywood. “I lead a normal life like any other middle class boy of my age. The hype around my lineage is the media’s creation because that’s how the system works,” he says matter-of-factly.

Like other star sons, however, Imaad’s entry into Bollywood was through his father’s project Yun Hota To Kya Hota, where he played a part in one of the four different stories the film dealt with. Did he wish for a grander launch? “Not exactly. Bollywood’s traditional song and dance don’t appeal to me. I’d rather get work on my own merit. My father spent his life on his own finding a way that best suited him. I too have to figure out what I am best at.” As regards Naseer’s involvement in his career, he says, “He is my biggest critic and though his criticisms are often disorienting, it’s positive in terms of my growth as a creative person.”

His role in Dil Dosti Etc of a 20-year-old “wanderer”, Apurv, however, is definitely up his street. “The character is as real as any 20-year-old’s out there—in terms of his thoughts, the issues he lives with and his confusions. When I first read the complete draft, I found the character similar to me. So for most of the film, I just stuck to being myself,” says Imaad.

One of the film’s most interesting sub-plots involves Apurv’s relationship with a prostitute, played by Smriti Mishra. “Calling Apurv a wanker is a rather simplistic way of viewing him. I would rather call him a wanderer as that’s how he’s also described in a dialogue in the film.”

Apurv is a character who often pauses and looks around and that’s how he ends up visiting a prostitute in Delhi’s infamous red-light area GB Road, says Shah. “A casual encounter leads to regular meetings and she begins to feel genuine affection for the boy. They develop a unique emotional and physical intimacy and have very interesting conversations, which make for some of the film’s most endearing lines.”

The film also has an intimate kissing scene between Imaad and Smriti Mishra. But the boy-actor is hardly coy about it. “It’s not difficult to do a love-making scene. What is tougher is to make it believable. Since we had spent a lot of time rehearsing in a workshop, I didn’t have any reservations doing the scene and did everything to make the lady feel comfortable. I don’t how much the film retains after the final cut, but I have a couple of love-making scenes with two other actresses too,” he says with a hint of a smile.

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Ask him about love and the young man, who has had a girlfriend for some months now, says with a laugh, “I would like to be a caveman.” But he adds quite earnestly, “In something as simple and magical as love, the best way is to have nature play its course. I hate society playing a bigger role in an individual’s everyday life.”

Talking about his talented co-cast, Imaad is all praise for Smriti. “She’s a very good actress and person and essays a very well written character in the film.” The other aspect of Dil Dosti Etc that got him hooked is that the film was set in Delhi University. “I know the area very well and the fact that we shot most of the film in the university made it an attractive proposition for me,” he says.

Ask this student of English literature about the campus he would prefer to be in and he says, “Mumbai has very little student politics and is much less flamboyant. Delhi University is the most productive place to grow.” Right now, Shah is pursuing his BA from home at Mumbai’s Kalina University after discontinuing from the regular course at the city’s prestigious St Xavier’s College. “My accident led to a long absence from Xavier’s because of which I had to leave the college. They are very strict about attendance. Now I am completing my graduation by correspondence,” he says.

Is he nervous ahead of his first big release? “I am actually unsure as of now. I hope the film does well because director Manish Tiwary is a good filmmaker, who I hope gets to continue making his kind of films.”

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And is acting going to be his vocation? Imaad, perhaps, is also a bit of a wanderer. “I am enjoying this time and would like to use my age to my advantage and take a few years to decide about my career. Music as a career attracts me too and I might cut an album soon. I write my songs and have performed solo and in groups at restaurants, coffee shops and in some hotel bands. I’m often complimented for having a well-rounded raw voice.”
Now, if only the reviews make some music.