Shahid's kid brother makes his acting deb

They will be the latest siblings in Bollywood to do so after pairs like Feroz-Sanjay in Prakash Mehra's "Mela" and Aamir-Faizal in Dharmesh Darshan's film of the same name.

Ishan not only features prominently in the cast but also has a pivotal role.

Sibling rivalry on screen?

Chuckles Shahid: "It happened rather suddenly. When I started shooting for 'Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!', Ishan was never supposed to be in it. But one day we were shooting close to my house, so Ishan dropped in on location. When he saw me shooting with 10-12 children, Ishan threw a fit. 'How can I not be in this with you when there're so many kids? Not fair!' Very hesitantly I asked my director if we could have Ishan in the film.

"Mahesh not only cast Ishan, he gave him a prominent role. My brother is there throughout the film. And when Mahesh's son heard that my brother is in the film, he, too, wanted to be part of it. So both my brother and Mahesh's son are part of my gang of kids - somewhat like Hrithik Roshan's bratty brigade in 'Koi... Mil Gaya'."

So is this a Karisma-Kareena kind of siblings' pair in Bollywood?

"No way. Ishan is too much of a child. He needs to focus on his studies. 'Vaah Life Ho Toh Aisi!' is a 'Mr. India' kind of film where the kids had a whole lot of fun. Besides, it was shot during Ishan's vacations. He's too young to be thinking of a movie career," says the doting brother.

Ishan hero-worships his brother. "He thinks even my worst film is a classic," says Shahid.

Copyright 2005 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com