Imaad Shah is a well-known Indian actor, writer, and musician. He appeared in various Indian movies including Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015), Karwaan (2018), and 404: Error Not Found (2011).
Wiki/Biography
Imaad Shah was born as Imaaduddin Shah on Saturday, 20 September 1986 (age 35 years; as of 2021) in Mumbai, India. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He completed his school education at The Doon School in Dehradun, India. He appeared in the lead role of the Indian movie ‘Yun Hota To Kya Hota’ in 2006; marking his acting debut. In 2021, he debuted in an Indian television web series ‘Bombay Begums’ on Netflix.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Naseeruddin Shah, a notable Indian film actor, is Imaad’s father.
Imaad Shah with his father, Naseeruddin Shah
His mother’s name is Ratna Pathak, who is a prominent Indian film actress.
Imaad Shah with his mother, Ratna Pathak
Veteran Indian film actress, Dina Pathak, was his maternal grandmother.
Imaad Shah’s maternal grandmother, Dina Pathak
Imaad’s grandfather, Baldev Pathak, was a very famous tailor, and he used to stitch the clothes of veteran and prominent Indian film actor, Rajesh Khanna. His brother’s name is Vivaan Shah, who is an Indian film actor. Imaad has a sister named Heeba Shah, who is his half-sister. She is the daughter of Naseeruddin Shah and his first wife.
Imaad Shah with his parents Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah, and brother Vivaan, and sister Heeba
The prominent Indian film actress, Supriya Pathak, is his aunt.
Imaad Shah’s maternal aunt, Supriya Pathak
Relationships/Affairs
Imaad Shah is in a relationship with Saba Azad, an Indian actress, theatre director, and musician.
Imaad Shah with his girlfriend, Saba Azad
Career
Film
In 2011, Imaad Shah has contributed to the Indian movie ‘404: Error Not found’ as an actor and lyrics writer. Around the same time, he worked as an assistant director in the Indian movie ‘Dhobi Ghat.’ Several Indian film production units and big banners including ‘By George and Manto Ismat Haazir Hain,’ ‘Katha Collage,’ and ‘Waiting for Godot’ introduced Imaad Shah as their musician and actor in the Indian film industry. In 2007, Imaad Shah appeared as Apurv in the movie, Dil Dosti Etc. This movie was produced by an Indian producer and director, Prakash Jha. In this movie, Imaad portrayed a young Delhi university student, who had the tendency to explore the secret places and the atmosphere of Delhi, India.
Imaad Shah in Dil Dosti Etc as Apurv
In 2009, Imaad Shah did the movie Little Zizou, and he appeared as Artaxerxes Khodaiji in it. This movie was produced by an Indian producer and director, Sooni Taraporeval. This film gave an award-winning performance at the Indian box office. The shooting locations of this movie included Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.
Imaad Shah in the movie Little Zizou as Artaxerxes Khodaiji
In 2013, Imaad Shah did the movie ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and he appeared as Sameer in it. He portrayed dark and memorable characters in this movie. This movie was a political thriller drama. Around the same time, he acted in a Bengali fantasy film ‘Tasher Desh.’ In this film, he appeared as Ruiton. In 2014, Imaad Shah performed in the movie ‘M Cream’ as Figs.
Imaad Shah in M Cream as Figs
In 2019, Imaad performed in the movie ‘Posham Paa’ as Gundeep Singh.
Imaad Shah on the poster of the movie ‘Posham Paa’ as Gundeep Singh
Songs
In 2011, Imaad Shah gave music for the movie ‘404: Error Not Found,’ and in 2018, he composed the songs of the Indian movie ‘Karwaan.’
Discography
In 2011, in the movie ‘404: Error Not Found,’ Imaad sang the song “Aisa Hi Hai, Chal Soch Le, Kya Dekh Raha Hai, Psycho Baba.” In the movie Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, Imaad has sung the song “Calcutta Kiss” along with Saba Azad in 2015. In 2018, in the movie Karwaan, Imaad sang the song “Bhar De Hamaare Glass” along with Saba Azad. The genre of these songs was disco.
Theatre
In an Indian theatre company, ‘Motley,’ which was established and founded by Indian film actors in 1979, Naseeruddin Shah and Benjamin Gilani, Imaad Shah works as a theatre artist.
Television
In 2021, Imaad Shah appeared in a web series, ‘Bombay Begums’ as Ron on Netflix. In the same year, he gave his artistic performance in a web series, ‘The Married Woman’ as Aijaz on ZEE5. ‘The Married Woman’ web series is directed by an Indian cinematographer, Sahir Raza. ‘The Married Woman’ star cast also includes Ridhi Dogra and Monica Dogra, the renowned Indian actresses.
Imaad Shah in a still from the web series ‘The Married Woman’
Band
Imaad Shah is a frontman and guitarist of a funk/disco band named ‘The Pulp Society.’ He participates as a songwriter and a vocalist in this band.
Imaad Shah while playing guitar
Imaad Shah, along with Saba Azad (an Indian actress, theatre director, and musician), is a part of the electro-funk/nu-disco Madboy/Mink band.
Facts/Trivia
- According to Imaad Shah, he loves to listen to old funk, Disco, Jazz, and Qawwali forms of music. He adores reading and writing Urdu poetry.
- According to Imaad Shah, he spends a lot of time on his hobbies. His hobbies are singing, writing songs, and playing guitar. Travelling is much adored by Imaad Shah.
- In July 2002, celebrity son Imaad Shah won the best speaker award, who was a participant from Doon School, Dehradun, India. It was an All-India Frank Anthony Memorial Debate Championship, which was organized by St. Stephen’s School on the school premises in Sector 45 Chandigarh, India. Naseeruddin Shah was present at the ceremony and felt proud when Imaad’s school won the best team award. Imaad, along with his team member, Umang Dua, showed a quick grasp of the subject matter and spoke on the topic titled “21st-century lifestyles have robbed children of the joys of childhood.” Participants from eight schools from all over India came to participate in this neck and neck competition.
Imaad Shah in childhood
- In 2006, in the Indian movie ‘Yun Hota To Kya Hota,’ which was produced by Naseeruddin Shah, Imaad performed on the big screen for the first time.
- In 2007, by the end of the year, Imaad met with a serious accident while traveling to the University in Mumbai on a local train. He fell out of the moving train and got seriously injured. He was rushed to the hospital by the co-passengers.
- According to Imaad Shah, he had a major disadvantage of being Naseeruddin Shah’s son as he was always looked upon as a celebrity son. In an interview, in 2009, Imaad revealed that as a celebrity child, his family and audience expected more from him. He further added that he would not follow the same ways in the entertainment industry as his father did. He said,
People expect you to travel along certain lines. Taking up acting seems to be the most obvious path when many other sons are launched by uncles and fathers’ companies. But I believe there are so many forms to be explored. It is not always great to continue doing the same thing. It is important to reinvent. A dalals son can be a dalal. But the way I see it, it is important to take things a step forward from what our previous generation has done.”
- In an interview, Imaad disclosed the names of the movies and plays, which Imaad liked and were done by his father, Naseeruddin Shah. He further added that these movies were very inspiring to him. He said,
I’ve liked the way he has staged Waiting for Godot. As for films, Bombay Boys was very interesting. The way he spoke Mumbaiya Hindi was interesting. I also liked his role as a goon in Maqbool.”
- Imaad Shah often participates in various Indian reality television shows. In 2009, Imaad Shah gave a special appearance on a live show “wassup with Imaad Shah, wassup exam helpline” in Mumbai, India.
- On another live show MTV Kick-Ass, on the Indian television channel MTV India, Imaad presented himself as an annoyed man. The show was hosted by Banerjee in 2009.
- In a conversation with a media person in 2010, Imaad Shah explained the accident tragedy that happened to him in 2007 and following this resuming his career. He said that he went through a lot of pain during hospitalization, and he came across many bad and good feelings on his mind. He further stated that he would resume his career with movies that had a meaningful purpose beyond entertainment. He said,
But it also equipped me emotionally and spiritually to be a better actor. The only film that was affected directly was Little Zizou. I had just recovered from the accident and looked very thin. That too worked to my advantage since it made me look as young as I was required to. I guess it’s in my genes to do films that are not merely flirting with diversion. I think I’ve to do movies that have some purpose beyond entertainment. I’ve just completed a film on bipolar disorder. And my next release is Sunil Pillai’s Ekaant, which is again a film with a subtext.”
- Imaad’s movie ‘404: Error Not Found’ was an Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film, which was released in 2011. During the movie release, Imaad was asked that had he thrilled with his music compositions in the movie ‘404- Error Not Found’ that included teenie boppers rocking songs. Imaad Shah answered that the young generation in India chose songs according to their intellectual capabilities and demands. He further added that he worked in this movie as an actor and a music director. He explained,
Young India is intelligent and looking for youth anthems. It all began when the film unit listened to a couple of my numbers. I was first chosen to play the role and then asked to play music director. While the younger generation is relating closely to the songs which can be sung and shared by their group of friends, the tracks seem to resonate with any age group. While Psycho Baba and Its all in the mind found instant fan following, my favourite is Kya Dekh Raha Hai which has really interesting words.”
- According to Imaad Shah, he liked to maintain a low profile standard of living and always standed in the support of independent cinema. In an interview, in 2011, Imaad Shah said that he had turned down many film offers from big banners in India. He explained,
I like my privacy and maintain a low profile to such an extent that I have turned down offers from big banners as well. I really support the new movement towards independent cinema.”
- Around the same time, in 2011, in an interview, Imaad Shah said that he did not take advice from his father while selecting the movies but he did discuss his career opportunities, candidly, with his father. He further stated that his father, Naseeruddin Shah, always gave him the advice to be careful in the film industry. He said,
Not really. My dad just reminds me to be careful of everyone in the film industry and I take that advice seriously. We discuss careers casually because we are very friendly.”
- In an interview, when Imaad was asked that as a star kid, had he faced any pressure from the audience and the film industry. He replied that he adored living a simple life as an ordinary person, and he did not think too much about such things. He further stated that nobody had launched him in the Indian film industry, and he himself had worked hard for this track. He stated that he did not believe in luxuries, and he ran away from his home against all odds to start living independently when he was a teenager. He explained,
Not really. The only pressure is to do the best I can do. I prefer not to think about such things. I am an ordinary person. I might be the son of an actor but he’s also someone who came out of nowhere. At one stage, he was the biggest underdog in the film industry. He comes from a very small town and had run away from home against all odds, and made it on his own and I take that as a learning lesson. I don’t believe in luxuries, I did not have a god father and nobody launched me. I have made it up the hard way.”
In 2014, the trailer of the movie ‘M Cream,’ in which Imaad worked as a lead actor, was presented at International Festival Trailer.
- According to Imaad Shah, he, along with his family members, enjoyed frequent vacations together, and over the meals, they engaged in serious discussions on literature, life, and philosophy. He further added that he lived with his family members while he was growing up, but when grew up, he and his sister, Heeba, were thrown out of the home to live and earn independently. He narrated the family culture and revealed that they all lived like a bunch of friends together. He explained,
While I was growing up, we were all living together — mom (Ratna Pathak Shah), dad (Naseeruddin Shah), Vivaan (brother), Heeba (Naseeruddin’s daughter from his first marriage), and I. Now, Heeba and I live on our own and Vivaan has been told by my parents that he has one more year before he gets kicked out. It’s great fun hanging out with them; sometimes, over our meals, we engage in serious discussions on life, philosophy, and literature. At other times, we laugh and talk about other things. We are like a bunch of friends together. The five of us also have a great time vacationing together. The last time was two years ago when we went to Egypt and Bali. Now, Vivaan and I are trying to convince them all to plan the next one soon.”
- In an interview, in March 2017, Imaad Shah revealed his personal life to the interviewer and stated the common interests with his lady love, Saba Azad. He said that he was living with Saba Azad, and he opened up his feelings and said that he desired to do a movie with her. He revealed that he did a lot of rehearsals with Saba while spending time with each other. He praised the pitch and melody of her voice and said that her voice was heart-striking. He said,
It’s true. Saba and I have moved in. That’s how we get to work together. We ran into each other while working on a play. With all the rehearsing stuff, we did end up spending a lot of time together. One day I heard her singing randomly with friends, it was a nice jam session. Her voice stood out from everything in the room. It was so striking. Saba has an amazingly soulful and versatile voice.”
- In 2019, to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Gandhiji’s martyrdom, India Unites for Non – Violence, and Harmony, a non-political, citizen-led initiative organized a campaign from 23 January to 30 January 2019 in Mumbai, India. The song “Tumhare purane shabd” was sung by Imaad Shah, along with Saba Azad, on this auspicious occasion.
- Imaad Shah made frequent appearances on various Indian television reality shows and radio programs. A live show ‘Repertwahr Star in the Car,’ which was hosted by Mumbai Radio Mirchi RJ Vipul, was attended by Imaad Shah, in January 2019. In this show, Imaad expressed a lot about Lucknow city and his musical journey. He narrated the ups and downs he went through during the inception journey of his band “Madboy.”
- Imaad is often seen posing for the cover pages of renowned Indian magazines and tabloids.
Imaad Shah on magazine cover page
- In an interview, Imaad revealed that his father, Naseeruddin Shah, was a self-made man in the Indian film industry, and through his work experiences, he provided Imaad many marvelous ideas to improve his artistic skills. Imaad considered his father as his idol. He said,
My dad is a self-made man. And I truly admire him for that. He often gives wonderful ideas. He knows the craft. And he is my idol.”
- Imaad Shah frequently uses his social media account. He is an animal lover, and he often posts pictures of his cat on his social media account.
Imaad Shah’s post on his Instagram account; a picture of his pet cat
- Several Indian musical gatherings, parties, and events invite Imaad Shah to play DJ. Imaad Shah often plays DJ as his professional undertaking.
Imaad Shah on an invitation cover page of a DJ event in India
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education