Shaam (actor)
Shaam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shamshuddin Ibrahim[1] 4 April 1977 |
| Nationality | India |
| Other names | Muhammad Shamshuddin Ibrahim |
| Occupation(s) | Film actor, model |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Spouse | Kashish (m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
Shamshuddin Ibrahim (born 4 April 1977), known professionally as Shaam, is an Indian actor and model who mainly appears Tamil films along with Kannada and Telugu films. Starting his career as a professional model, he soon made his acting debut in the film 12B (2001). He further appeared in lead roles in critically successful films such as Lesa Lesa (2003), Iyarkai (2003), and Ullam Ketkumae (2005), which was also successful commercially. He garnered acclaim for his role in Kick (2009), which earned him the name Kick Shaam. Kick enabled Shaam to star in other successful films such as Race Gurram (2014).[2] After a hiatus, he returned to Tamil cinema with 6 (2013) and Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (2015), both of which released to positive reviews.
Early life
Shaam was born on 4 April 1977 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu,[3] into a Tamil-speaking family; his father hails from Madurai, while his mother is from Tiruppathur.[4] He grew up in Bengaluru,[4] where he pursued his studies. After completing his B Com, he did modelling through which he hoped to become an actor.[5]
Career
2000-2005: Debut and success
Shaam began his career as a model in Bengaluru, modelling for various ads. Keen on pursuing an acting career, he was vainly searching for acting offers for four years.[6] He then, following the recommendation of his model coordinator Biju Jayadevan, got to meet cinematographer Jeeva, who was planning to make his directorial debut and was on the lookout for a new face for the film's lead role.[3] Shaam was given the role for the film 12B.[7] Shaam recollects that during his first meeting with Jeeva, he handed over his portfolio and introduced himself in English, when Jeeva heard him out, and then said, "Repeat what you just said, in Tamil" and Shaam did, and was subsequently signed on the next day after a meeting with producer Vikram Singh.[8][6] The promos of the film were critically praised with Shaam signing on to appear on several projects before 12B even released.[9]
His second feature film, however, the S J Suryah-directed Kushi, in which he appeared in a cameo role, released first, since 12B got stuck in production and released in 2001 only.[10] The film which was a blatant rip-off of Sliding Doors, fetched rave reviews and was seen as a "dream entry" for Shaam,[6] his performance was praised as "apt"[11] His subsequent releases including Vasanth's Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke! (2002), Bala (2002), Anbe Anbe (2003) and Priyadarshan's Lesa Lesa (2003), garnered only average or poor box office returns.[12] Shaam was approached to play the third male lead role in Aaytha Ezhuthu, but was unable to sign the film because of date issues with Iyarkai.[13] His final release of 2003 was Iyarkai by debutant S P Jananathan, which also failed at the box office due to a delayed release, but opened to high critical acclaim, even winning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.[14]
Ullam Ketkumae, directed by Jeeva, finally was a commercial success.[12] It is Shaam's first successful film and a critic noted that "he is able to bring out the sensibilities of the character".[15] ABCD, a romance film released in August 2005.[16]
2006-2008: Downfalls
In 2006, he acted in love story, Manathodu Mazhaikalam. The film was released to negative reviews.[17] He made his Kannada debut in the film Tananam Tananam.[18]
In 2007, post the death of Jeeva, Shaam struggled to succeed in the Tamil film industry.[19]
In 2008, he appeared in the film, Thoondil directed by K. S. Adhiyaman.[20] The next is Inba alongside Sneha. It's the third collaboration between Shaam and actress Sneha.[21] These films had no impact at the box office.
2009-2018: Kick and beyond
Following several more unsuccessful films, he got a major break in the 2009 Telugu action film Kick. He reprised the role in the Tamil remake, titled Thillalangadi. Shaam tried his luck in Hindi with director Faisal Saif in the Hindi-Tamil bilingual titled Mujhe Maaf Karo. But due to ego clash between the actor and director the film has been put on hold.[22] After the success of Kick, Shaam signed his second Telugu film, a biopic Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. However, due to the crisis in Andhra Pradesh at the time, the film failed to materialize.[23] He also signed several Tamil and Telugu bilingual ventures inlcluding Sariya Tavara and 6, but the former failed to take off and the latter was released only in Tamil.[1][24]
In late 2011, he appeared in the film 6, which released to positive reviews. For his role in the film, Shaam spent more than a dozen sleepless nights, which resulted in a big swelling below his eyes and for another look, hereduced his weight and grew his hair long and a beard.[25] After the success of the film, Kannada actor, Sudeep, announced that he was going to do a multilingual film with Shaam.[26]
In mid 2014, Shaam appear as Allu Arjun's brother in the film Race Gurram (2014). In a review of the film, a critic stated that "Shaam as the arrogant elder brother Ram delivers a good performance".[27] In 2015, he won critical acclaim for his portrayal of a honest police officer in Jananathan's political drama Purampokku (2015), which had an ensemble cast featuring Arya and Vijay Sethupathi..[4] In an IBT review of the film, the reviewer stated that "Shaam as a police officer stands out among all the leading characters, with the intensity he portrays in his role".[28] Shaam's next release was the Kannada suspense thriller Game, which was also shot in Tamil as Oru Melliya Kodu alongside Arjun and Manisha Koirala. The Kannada version released in February 2016 to positive reviews and the Tamil version released in July 2016.[29] In 2017, he was signed to portray one of the lead roles in Kaala Koothu in 2015 and grew his beard for the role. However, he left the role due to differences with the director.[30] He made his Malayalam debut with The Great Father (2017).[31]
2019-present: Career decline
After a brief sabbatical in Tamil films, Shaam returned with the long delayed Tamil film Kaaviyyan in 2019.[32] The film released to negative reviews. The Times of India wrote that "The film, however, is sure to disappoint those who even go without any expectation".[33][34]
Personal life
Shaam has three brothers and two sisters.[6]
He is married to a Punjabi, Kashish, who was his collegemate.[35][5]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kushi | Shiva's friend | Tamil | Uncredited role |
| 2001 | 12B | Shakthivel | Tamil Debut | |
| 2002 | Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke! | Hari | ||
| Bala | Bala | |||
| 2003 | Anbe Anbe | Cheenu | ||
| Lesa Lesa | Rakesh | |||
| Iyarkai | Marudhu | |||
| 2005 | Girivalam | Arjun | ||
| Ullam Ketkumae | Shyam | |||
| ABCD | Anand | |||
| 2006 | Manathodu Mazhaikalam | Siva | ||
| Tananam Tananam | Shankar | Kannada | Kannada Debut | |
| 2008 | Thoondil | Sriram | Tamil | |
| Inba | Inba | |||
| 2009 | Kick | Kalyan Krishna | Telugu | Telugu Debut |
| Anthony Yaar? | Anthony | Tamil | ||
| 2010 | Thillalangadi | Krishna Kumar | ||
| Kalyanram Kathi | Krishna Mohan | Telugu | ||
| Agam Puram | Thiru | Tamil | ||
| 2011 | Veera | Shyam Prasad | Telugu | |
| Oosaravelli | Niharika's Brother | |||
| Kshetram | Chakradeva Rayalu | |||
| 2013 | Action 3D | Ajay | ||
| 6 | Ram | Tamil | Also co-producer | |
| 2014 | Race Gurram | Ram Prasad | Telugu | |
| 2015 | Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai | Macaulay | Tamil | 25th film |
| Kick 2 | Kalyan Krishna | Telugu | Cameo appearance | |
| 2016 | Game | Akshay | Kannada | |
| Oru Melliya Kodu | Tamil | |||
| Santhu Straight Forward | Deva | Kannada | ||
| 2017 | The Great Father | Samuel | Malayalam | Malayalam Debut |
| Oxygen | Mahendra Raghupati | Telugu | ||
| 2019 | Kaaviyyan | Akilan Vishwanath | Tamil | |
| TBA | UA | Kannada | Filming[36] | |
| TBA | Untitled P. S. Vijayakumar film | Tamil | Pre-production[36] | |
| TBA | Party | Hitman | Tamil | Delayed |
References
- ^ a b "Telugu film 'Kick' revives Shaam's career". Deccan Herald. 12 June 2009.
- ^ Ramchandani, Binita (18 April 2014). "Race Gurram kick-starts Shaam's career". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b c Srinivasan, Sudhir (23 May 2015). "'Acting is the last thing an actor should do'". The Hindu.
- ^ a b "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d Rangarajan, Malathi (24 November 2003). "Sailing with SHAAM". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Making progress steadily, surely". The Hindu. 19 October 2007.
- ^ "The Hindu : Riding high on '12B' fame". www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Actor Shaam made his debut in Vijay's 'Kushi' - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "The Hindu : Film Review: 12 B". www.thehindu.com.
- ^ a b "The ABCD of Shaam's life!". Rediff.com. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Bhoot, now in Tamil". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (7 August 2004). "Honour well deserved". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Review : (2005)". www.sify.com.
- ^ "Tamil movie review : ABCD". www.behindwoods.com.
- ^ "Manadodu Mazhaikalam review. Manadodu Mazhaikalam Tamil movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com.
- ^ "Tananam Tananam disappoints". Rediff.com. 28 November 2006.
- ^ "'Many people tried to push me down' - Shaam - Tamil News". IndiaGlitz.com. 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Review: Thoondil fails". www.rediff.com.
- ^ "Review: A dull Inba". www.rediff.com.
- ^ Special Corresspondent (28 May 2009). "My Telugu looks sell'". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ Kumar, S. r Ashok (18 March 2010). "Grill Mill — Shaam". The Hindu.
- ^ "'I have to lose 15 kilos for my next film'". Rediff. 18 May 2011.
- ^ Sangeetha, P (26 June 2012). "Shaam stuns Kollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Saravanan, T. (27 September 2013). "Shaam hits a six". The Hindu.
- ^ Rajendra, Ranjani (11 April 2014). "Race Gurram: Allu all the way". The Hindu.
- ^ Nicy V.P (15 May 2015). "'Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai' Movie Review: A Slow-Paced Movie Featuring Vijay Sethupathi, Arya, Shaam". International Business Times.
- ^ "Game Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
- ^ "Shaam walks out of Kaala Koothu". The Times of India. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Arya helps Shaam make his Mollywood debut - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Shaam's 'Kaaviyan', a cop thriller set in Las Vegas". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Kaaviyyan Movie Review: A sloppy script staged in an artificial set up with hardly any character arc". The Times of India.
- ^ https://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/tamil-nadu-actor-shaam-11-others-arrested-in-chennai-for-gambling-amid-lockdown-2269923
- ^ "With love, my dear!". Times of India. 19 December 2009.
- ^ a b "I am confident that 2019 will be my comeback year in Kollywood: Shaam - Times of India". The Times of India.