Meet star kid who had a flop start to his career, following which he quit films and moved to the US, only to be made to return by Irrfan Khan.
The general perception is that star kids have it easy. Everything from their launch to their success, they get it served to them on a silver platter. While that may be true in many cases, one can’t label it a universal truth. There are many who take the long route to success, one that comes after many struggles. One such story is of Fahadh Faasil, the National Award-winning Malayalam star who was convinced to act by an actor he never met.
Fahadh Faasil’s early life and flop debut
Son of th acclaimed Malayalam filmmaker Fazil, Fahadh was born in Alappuzha in 1982. He made his acting debut at the age of 19 in his father’s film Kaiyethum Doorath. The film failed and both father and son were criticised. In an interview to NDTV, Fahadh had then said, “Don't blame my father for my failure because it was my mistake and I came into acting without any preparation of my own.” The youngster quit films and went to US to study engineering, putting cinema out of his mind. But fate had other plans.
How Irrfan Khan made Fahadh Faasil return to India
In 2020, after Irrfan’s untimely death, Fahadh penned a moving note for the actor, revealing how he owes his career to Irrfan despite never having met him. In the note, he recounted how he and his friend Nikunj would rent DVDs of Indian films during their university days in the US in the early 2000s. “On one such visit, Khalid Bhai, the store owner recommended a film called ‘Yuh Hota to Kya Hota’. The first thing I noticed was that the film was directed by Naseerudin Shah...That night, few minutes into the film, when the character Salim Rajabali (Irrfan Khan) came on screen, I turned to Nikunj (friend) and asked “who is this guy?”. I mean, there are actors who are intense, who are stylish and who are charming. In all honesty, this was the first time I ever saw an actor who was ORIGINAL on screen. And his name was IRRFAN KHAN,” Fahadh wrote. The actor added that “amidst discovering Irrfan Khan, I decided to to drop out of engineering school and return to India. To act in films.” This way, Irrfan transformed Fahadh’s life without meeting him.
Fahadh Faasil’s second innings in films
Fahadh returned to acting with the 2009 release Kerala Cafe, an anthology film. The following year, he returned to lead roles in Malayalam films. He began to earn critical acclaim for her performances soon and won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor in 2012 for his performances in Chappa Kurishu and Akam. In 2018, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. From then on, Fahadh’s career graph has only gone upwards with critical acclaim in films like Varathan, cult following through Kumbalangi Nights, and box office success with Njan Prakashan
Fahadh Faasil’s pan-India success
Towards the end of the 2010s, Fahadh began to appear in films of other languages as well, starting with Tamil films Velaikkaran and Super Deluxe. In 2021, he attained nationwide fame with his cameo as Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat in the pan-India hit Pushpa The Rise. He is set to reprise that character in Pushpa The Rule this year. In 2022, he tasted further success with a supporting role in Kamal Haasan’s blockbuster Vikram. Fahadh is regarded as one of India’s finest and most successful actors today, and the journey began with a chance viewing of an Irrfan performanc. As the actor summed up, “I feel like I owe my career to him. I don’t think I could have come this far if I hadn’t picked up that DVD and watched an actor who changed my life.”
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 "Fahadh Faasil and Irrfan Khan")
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