Bollywood is a place where fame often runs in the family, it is rare to see someone walk away from the limelight of their own free will. Today, we will talk about an actor who is the son of famous actors and who grew up surrounded by film, theatre and creativity. His parents are National Film Award-winning actors, his grandmother was too known for her acting calibre and while his sister is an actress, his brother is a musician. Moreover, he featured in several commercially hit films but still chose the quiet of theatres, where the cameras don't follow and the spotlight is equal.
This actor's childhood was spent more around books than film sets. He went to The Doon School, one of India's top boarding schools, and had his eyes set on studies. He came very close to studying History at Delhi's St. Stephen's College, missing the cut-off by just one mark. Instead of choosing a course he was not interested in, he dropped out after a year and moved to Mumbai, where he joined Jai Hind College.
No points for guessing that we are talking about veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah son's Vivaan Shah, who made his debut with Vishal Bharadwaj's 2011 film, 7 Khoon Maaf, opposite Priyanka Chopra. A few years later, he landed a fun role in Farah Khan's Happy New Year (2014) alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Abhishek Bachchan.
He once revealed how much it meant to him that his father, who is a huge fan of Farah Khan (the film's director), saw him on that grand stage. But unlike many star kids, Vivaan didn't chase stardom, instead, he shifted his focus to quieter and more personal films like Bombay Velvet, Laal Ki Shaadi Mein Laddu Deewana, Kabaad: The Coin, Kot. Such films may not have dominated the box office records but it allowed him to explore his art on his own terms.
What keeps him grounded is his family. In an interview, he has often said that they are not only his biggest cheerleaders but they are also his closest friends. He once said, 'We are best friends first, colleagues second.' Vivaan was last seen in Inn Galli alongside Javed Jaffrey and Avantika Dasani. He may not be a famous name in Bollywood but the way he has carved a niche for himself as a calm, thoughtful and completely his own is commendable.
