You all must be aware of the film Salaam Bombay, released in 1988, which was nominated for Oscar. In this, actor Shafiq Syed worked as a child artist and played the character of Chapau who is forced to live on the streets of Mumbai. He was also given the National Award for this film. But now the situation is such that he earns his living by driving an auto rickshaw and earns Rs 150 per day.
In an interview given to an open magazine in 2010, Shafiq told that during the shooting of the film, he felt that he did not have to do ‘acting’ at all. The language, stories and situations of the film were such that he had already gone through them. People called Salaam Bombay an art film, but the truth is that it was not such a film. It was like Saeed’s own story. It was the story of the lives of people living on the streets of India. Syed tells that this life was no different from death, and I had lived it.
Artists Raghuveer Yadav, Nana Patekar and Anita Kanwar who worked with him helped him. He learned that acting means ‘reacting’ honestly to a situation. During this, the actions of the person in front indicate what the actor has to do. Syed says that he had to learn these small things. Even just being himself in front of the camera was a learning experience for him on the sets.
I started my story
In the 1980s, Shafiq left his home in Bengaluru and went to Mumbai without a ticket. So that we can find out whether the city is actually the same as it appears in Bollywood films. When he was living on the streets near Churchgate station, one day a woman came to him and offered him Rs 20 to join an acting workshop for her and other street children. Others thought it was a scam and ran away, but Shafiq accepted it because he was hungry. Among many other children, he was selected to play the lead role in Mira Nair’s film Salaam Bombay.
When decided to go back home
After the success of the film, Shafiq thought that he would take acting seriously. Receiving honor from the President of India and winning the National Film Award was one of the most precious and memorable moments of his life. However, soon he stopped getting opportunities. Feeling ignored, she decided to leave Mumbai and go back to her hometown Bengaluru. On returning home, he forgot everything about acting and started working as an auto-rickshaw driver. He had to support 5 other members of his family who were dependent on him, while his daily earning was only Rs 150.
It is noteworthy that apart from the films Salaam Bombay and Patang, Shafiq also worked in the Kannada film Care of Footpath 2 released in 2015 and he played the role of a coconut seller. But even after this no identification could be found.
Also read- ‘God should not give such a wife to anyone’… What did Shreya Kalra say about Akanksha Chamola, why did she call Gaurav Khanna lucky?
Comments are closed.