Lovely memories of Nagpur:Shahbaaz

His role of Hyder Ali in the famous teleserial, The Sword Of Tipu Sultan, shot him to fame. With his macho looks and rich baritone voice, Shahbaaz Khan captured millions of hearts.

Son of legendary (late) Ustad Amir Khan, he says that he cannot think of life sans music. NT catches up with the actor who was in the city recently to receive an award.

Love for music
Coming from a family, which has an illustrious musical legacy, why did he decide to take up acting? "Music requires a lot of dedication and sadhna and I always felt that I cannot do justice to it. My father was an institution by himself. I lost my father when I was just eight years old and I didn’t get the mahaul that is required for pursuing music. But I regret that I am not into music. Classical music has always been my passion," says Shahbaaz Khan. So, why did he decide to take up acting as a profession? "I always felt that acting suited my personality. It is all about creativity and is indeed a satisfying job," adds the actor.

‘I cherish memories of Nagpur’
The actor who was brought up in Nagpur says that he has beautiful memories associated with the city. "I was born in Indore but after my father passed away, we all shifted to Nagpur. I did my schooling from St Josephs Convent, Kamptee and my graduation in commerce from Hislop College. I always participated in ghazal competitions in my college and usually won," says the actor. And what does he have to say about Nagpur, which has grown by leaps and bounds? "I am very happy to see the way Nagpur is progressing. It is good to see that it is graduating into a metro. But the best thing about the city is that it is still a beautiful and a peaceful city," says Shahbaaz.

‘ Commercialisation galore!’
History and fantasy roles have usually been his forte. Do serials based on fantasy or history work in this era of saas- bahu soap operas? "It is good to see that the audience is emerging from the saas-bahu mode now. They have started watching fantasy serials too. The TRPs are a testimony to the fact," says the actor. So, what change does he find in today's serials? "Television was a slice of life when I started working in the serials. Scripts were given due importance and performances were much stronger then. Now I think commercialisation has taken over and the charm is missing," he adds.

Stress busters
Shahbaaz loves to spend hours enjoying classical music. When he is not shooting, he loves to spend time at home. "My daughters Shahana and Saniya are my biggest stress busters. I don't believe in partying and love to spend quality time with my family." So, what is he doing these days? "I am working in a few serials. I have also been organising classical concerts across the country in the memory of my father," says Shahbaaz.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com