New Shah in Town - Vivaan Shah

New Shah In Town

With a meaty role in 7 Khoon Maaf, formerly reluctant actor Vivaan Shah couldn't ask for a better debut

When filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj first called Vivaan Assad Shah to meet him at his office, the young lad was certain about not pursuing a career in films. "I had this animosity towards becoming an actor because I knew everyone expected me to become one. I did not want to be part of this family business. I wanted to go against the norm and do something more research-oriented or academic," says the youngest son of veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah.

But just one meeting with Bhardwaj changed his mindset towards cinema, and he agreed to audition for a role in 7 Khoon Maaf. "But I wasn't sure if I had got the part. I had given my best, but I knew there were others who had given their best as well," says Shah.

At 21, Shah is not your regular Bollywood debutant. He does not have a stylist, doesn't have the advantage of height, hasn't been to the gym ever and hasn't attended a single acting class. He loves spending time with his friends and is happy not being recognised. Yet his passion for the craft is unbounded. Although he believes that he bagged the role on his own merit, Shah realises that his career could be shaped by his influential parents. "Vishal sir would not have known of my existence had he not known my dad," states Shah, who now wants to do more films. "But currently, I am jobless," he grins.

In his third year of graduation at Jai Hind College, Shah is majoring in English literature and History. Ask him if his academics ever came in the way of his fledgling film career, and he is quick to retort. "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." And to guide him further were Bhardwaj and his co-star Priyanka Chopra. "I was almost a lost cause on the shoot. Vishal sir moulded me to extract the best performance. Priyanka helped me reach the depths of human emotions through my acting," says Shah. In the film, Shah plays the role of a servant who is infatuated with his Sahib Susanna (Chopra). He then grows up to be the forensic scientist investigating the murder of Susanna's husbands.

Coming from a theatre and film lineage, both mediums became a part of Shah's life early on. While he was actively involved in the production aspects of theatre, cinema was more a source of entertainment to him. From world cinema to Hollywood to Indian cinema of the '70s and '80s, he has watched it all. "I love watching all kinds of films — from intellectual to cheesy. There are times when dad and I put on CVO at 1am and watch a B-grade or a horror film and have a hearty laugh," he smiles. Shah is positive of the new wave of cinema that's taken Bollywood by storm. "But I cannot be choosy and say that I want to do only new wave cinema. My dad did a lot of terrible films to support our family. I am sure I will also have to do it at some point," he explains.