Even though he grew up visiting film sets and mingling with the biggest of Bollywood stars, it wasn’t until the late 2000s — when he was 33 — that Sharib Hashmi lived his dream!
Sharib, who was recently seen portraying an intense character — Ved in Khoj Parchaiyo Ke Uss Paar — a different role than the usual ones we’ve come to known him for, spoke to Connected to India about his life, acting and the new mystery thriller web series that can be streamed exclusively on ZEE5 Global.
Son of reputed film journalist, ZA Johar, Sharib admits he always wanted to become a movie star, but the plan failed through the cracks as he grew up and came to a realisation.
“When I grew up, I didn’t grow big enough. I’m only 5 feet 4 inches tall. So I thought to myself, I cannot be a hero now, I cannot do anything related to acting, so I completely gave up on that dream,” he says.
But Sharib knew he had to remain in the industry, and so to keep himself afloat, he took up technical jobs, writing and even assisting at times.
He says it was only after he started playing characters in a popular skit show that he fell in love with acting all over again. That led to him bagging a role in the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire and kick-started his stint as an actor.
Today, Sharib boasts of iconic characters such as JK Talpade (Family Man), which, apart from bringing him plaudits from critics, has become a familiar face with consumers of Indian OTT content.
About Khoj, he says he was extremely excited as it was his first lead role in a series, but also adds that the characters lack humor, something that has been a hallmark of all Sharib Hashmi characters so far.
Watch the entire conversation below to find out more.
