Shaam (actor)

Last updated

Shaam
Born
Shamshuddin Ibrahim [1]

(1977-04-04) 4 April 1977 (age 47)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • model
Years active2000–present
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Spouse
Kashish
(m. 2003)
Children2

Shamshuddin Ibrahim (born 4 April 1977), known professionally as Shaam, is an Indian actor and model who mainly appears Tamil and Telugu-language 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 films such as Lesa Lesa (2003), Iyarkai (2003), and Ullam Ketkumae (2005). He garnered acclaim for his role in the Telugu film Kick (2009), which earned him the name Kick Shaam. Kick enabled Shaam to star in other prominent Telugu films such as Race Gurram (2014). After a hiatus, he returned to Tamil cinema with 6 (2013), Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (2015) and Varisu (2023).

Contents

Early life

Shamshuddin Ibrahim was born on 4 April 1977 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, [2] into a Tamil Muslim Rowther family. [3] 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 auditioned for the lead role in Kadhalar Dhinam (1999), but did not receive the role. [7] 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. [2] He was given the role for the film 12B . [8] He 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. [9] [6] The promos of the film were critically praised with Shaam signing on to appear on several projects before 12B even released. [10]

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. [11] The film which was a blatant rip-off of Sliding Doors , which itself had numerous comparisons with director Krzysztof Kieślowski's 1982 Polish film Blind Chance , fetched rave reviews and was seen as a "dream entry" for Shaam, [6] whose performance was praised as "apt". [12] Shaam was set to work with K. Balachander after Paarthale Paravasam (2001), but the project never materialised. [13] His subsequent releases including Vasanth's Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey! (2002), Anbe Anbe (2003) and Priyadarshan's Lesa Lesa (2003), garnered only average or poor box office returns. [14] He took a break from his romantic hero films with Bala (2002) but the failure of the film caused him to stick to romantic films. [15] He 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 . [16] Iyarkai by debutant S P Jananathan was his final release of 2003 and 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. [17]

Ullam Ketkumae , directed by Jeeva, finally was a commercial success. [14] It is Shaam's first successful film and a critic noted that "he is able to bring out the sensibilities of the character". [18] [19] ABCD , a romance film released in August 2005. [20]

2006–2008: Downfalls

In 2006, he acted in love story, Manathodu Mazhaikalam , which released to negative reviews. [21] He made his Kannada debut in the film Tananam Tananam playing the role of a blind man. [22]

In 2007, post the death of Jeeva, Shaam struggled to succeed in the Tamil film industry. [23]

In 2008, he appeared in the film, Thoondil directed by K. S. Adhiyaman. [24] The next is Inba alongside Sneha in which he played a macho man. [25] These films had no impact at the box office.

2009–2018: Action and comedy genres

Following several more unsuccessful films, he got a major break in Surender Reddy's Telugu action film Kick (2009) as a police officer. He was cast in the film after Surender Reddy saw his stills from Agam Puram (2010). The success of Kick caused his previous films to release in Telugu: Inba was released in Telugu as Neelo Naalo (2009) with a comedy track featuring Sunil and Agam Puram was dubbed in Telugu as Gang War in 2011. [26] [27] He reprised his role from Kick in the Tamil remake, titled Thillalangadi (2010). [28] He went on to play similar roles in Veera (2011) [29] and Race Gurram (2014). [30] 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. [31] Then he tried his luck in Hindi with director Faisal Saif in the Hindi-Tamil bilingual titled Mujhe Maaf Karo. [32] The film, however, got stuck in production. [33] Regarding his role in Veera, a critic noted that "Shaam fits into his character perfectly, but he has hardly any screen time to shine". [34] Post the release of Kick, Shaam further collaborated with Reddy in Oosaravelli (2011), [35] Race Gurram (2014), [32] and Kick 2 (2015). [36] He was cast in negative roles in several other Telugu-language films including Kalyanram Kathi (2011) [37] and Oxygen (2017). [38] He also signed several Tamil and Telugu bilingual venture including Sariya Thavara, named after a song from his debut film 12B , but the film did not enter production. [1]

In late 2011, he appeared in the film 6 , which released to positive reviews. [39] For his role in the film, he 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. [40] Although the film released to positive reviews, the film failed to do well at the box office. [41] After the positive response of the film, Kannada actor, Sudeep, announced that he was going to do a multilingual film with Shaam. [42]

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". [43] 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. [44] In 2015, he won critical acclaim for his portrayal of an honest police officer in Jananathan's political drama Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (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". [45] 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. [46] The Kannada version released in February 2016 to positive reviews and the Tamil version released in July 2016 to mixed reviews. [47] [48] That same year, he played a negative role in the Kannada-language film Santhu Straight Forward . [49] He made his Malayalam debut with The Great Father (2017). [50] In August 2017, he was cast in Venkat Prabhu's multi-starrer Party in a negative role; however, the film remains unreleased since 2018.

2019–present

After a brief sabbatical in Tamil films, Shaam returned with the long delayed Tamil film Kaaviyyan in 2019. [51] The film released to negative reviews. A critic from The Times of India wrote that "The film, however, is sure to disappoint those who even go without any expectation". [52] He played a negative role in Naanga Romba Busy (2020) starring Prasanna and Ashwin Kakumanu. [53] Shaam has played the role of Vijay’s brother in Varisu (2023). [54]

Personal life

Shamsuddin has three brothers and two sisters. [6]

He is married to a Punjabi, Kashish, who was his college mate. [55] [56] [5]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleLanguageNotes
2000 Kushi Shiva's friend Tamil Uncredited role
2001 12B ShakthivelTamilDebut film
2002 Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey! HariTamil
Bala BalaTamil
2003 Anbe Anbe CheenuTamil
Lesa Lesa RakeshTamil
Iyarkai MarudhuTamil
2005 Girivalam ArjunTamil
Ullam Ketkumae ShyamTamil
ABCD AnandTamil
2006 Manathodu Mazhaikalam SivaTamil
Tananam Tananam ShankarKannadaDebut in Kannada cinema
2008 Thoondil SriramTamil
Inba InbaTamil
2009 Kick Kalyan KrishnaTeluguDebut in Telugu cinema
Anthony Yaar? AnthonyTamil
2010 Thillalangadi Krishna KumarTamil
Kalyanram Kathi Krishna MohanTelugu
Agam Puram ThiruTamil
2011 Veera ShyamsunderTelugu
Oosaravelli SuryaTelugu
Kshetram Chakradeva RayaluTelugu
2013 Action 3D AjayTelugu
6 RamTamilAlso co-producer
2014 Race Gurram Ram PrasadTelugu
2015 Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai MacaulayTamil25th Film
Kick 2 Kalyan KrishnaTeluguCameo appearance
2016 Game AkshayKannada
Oru Melliya KoduTamil
Santhu Straight Forward DevaKannada
2017 The Great Father Samuel Malayalam Cameo appearance
Oxygen Mahendra RaghupathiTelugu
2018 Party HitmanTamilUnreleased
2019 Kaaviyyan Akilan VishwanathTamil
2020 Naanga Romba Busy RavichandranTamilTelevision film
2022 Poikkal Kudhirai ACP TamilCameo appearance
2023 Varisu Ajay RajendranTamil
2024 Viswam KarthikTelugu
2025AsthramTBATamilFilming
2025Nodikku NodiTBATamilFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNetworkRef.
2021 Dance vs Dance Season 2 Team leader Colors Tamil [57]
2024 Goli Soda Rising Vellai Ravi Disney+ Hotstar

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trisha Krishnan</span> Indian actress (born 1983)

Trisha Krishnan is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films. She gained prominence after winning the 1999 Miss Chennai pageant, which marked her entry into Cinema. Often referred to as the "Queen of South India", Trisha has received numerous accolades, including five Filmfare Award South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award, one Nandi Award and eight SIIMA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srikanth (actor, born 1979)</span> 21st century Indian actor

Srikanth is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films. He is credited as Sriram in Telugu films. He debuted in K. Balachander's tele serial Jannal – Marabu Kavithaigal (1999). His film debut was in the romantic film Roja Kootam (2002) and went on to star in more such films including April Maadhathil (2002), Parthiban Kanavu (2003) and Okariki Okaru (2003). He subsequently went on to portray action roles in Drohi (2010). In 2012, he starred in Nanban, the Tamil remake of 3 Idiots, directed by S. Shankar.

Prasanna Venkatesan, often credited mononymously as Prasanna, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry and alongside appeared in a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arya (actor)</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1980)

Jamshad Cethirakath, known by his stage name Arya, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema and a few Malayalam and Telugu films. Arya has won two Filmfare Awards South and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He was included on the 2015 edition of the Forbes India Celebrity 100, a list based on the top earning Indian celebrities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pooja Umashankar</span> Indian-Sri Lankan actress

Pooja Gauthami Umashankar is an Indian-Sri Lankan actress who has primarily appeared in Indian Tamil and Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema.

<i>12B</i> 2001 film by Jeeva

12B is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written, cinematographed and directed by Jeeva, with dialogues by Sujatha; it is his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam in his debut with Simran and Jyothika in lead roles. Hindi actors Suniel Shetty and Moon Moon Sen play supporting roles, and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj. The film was released on 28 September 2001 to above-average reviews. Critics praised the new concept but criticised the narrative, which they found confusing.

<i>Lesa Lesa</i> 2003 film by Priyadarshan

Lesa Lesa..., also referred to as Laysa Laysa, is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Shaam and Trisha, while Vivek, Radharavi and Sreenivasan play supporting roles. Madhavan appears in a guest appearance. The music was composed by Harris Jayaraj. The film is a remake of the 1998 Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem, which was written by Ranjith.

<i>Ullam Ketkumae</i> 2005 Indian film

Ullam Ketkumae... is a 2005 Tamil-language musical coming of age film written, cinematographed and directed by Jeeva, with dialogues by Sujatha. The film stars Shaam, Arya, Laila, Asin and Pooja as five college students. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Harris Jayaraj, while Vairamuthu penned the lyrics for the songs. The film tells the reunion of five friends who were together at college and exploring their relationships during the years. The film released after several delays in 2005 and went on to win critical and commercial success. The film marked the first successful film for Jeeva and Shaam while Arya and Asin received several film offers after the release of the film.

<i>Iyarkai</i> 2003 film by S. P. Jananathan

Iyarkai is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by S. P. Jananathan in his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam and Radhika. Arun Vijay—who at the time was known as Arun Kumar—makes a cameo appearance and Bollywood actor Seema Biswas plays a supporting role. Iyarkai marks the debuts of Radhika and Biswas in Tamil cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. P. Jananathan</span> Indian film director (1959–2021)

S. P. Jananathan was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Tamil cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arun Vijay</span> Indian actor (born 1977)

Arun Vijay, formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anjali (actress)</span> Indian actress (born 1986)

Anjali is an Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu films. Anjali is recognised as one of the finest actors in Tamil films, known for her "performance-oriented roles". She is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South and two Nandi Awards.

<i>Kick</i> (2009 film) 2009 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film

Kickis a 2009 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Surender Reddy from a story by Vakkantham Vamsi. The film stars Ravi Teja, Ileana, and Shaam while Brahmanandam plays a supporting role. The film has music composed by S. Thaman. Released on 8 May 2009, the film was a commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karthika Nair</span> Indian actress (born 1992)

Karthika Nair is a former Indian actress who primarily worked down South in all language films. She made her debut in the 2009 Telugu film Josh, opposite Naga Chaitanya. She rose to fame starring in her second and her first successful Tamil film Ko, opposite Jiiva and Piaa Bajpai. She found further success in the Malayalam film Proprietors: Kammath & Kammath, opposite Dileep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijay Sethupathi</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1978)

Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

<i>Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai</i> 2015 Indian film

Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language political thriller film co-produced, written and directed by S. P. Jananathan, which stars Arya, Shaam, Vijay Sethupathi, and Karthika. Also produced by UTV Motion Pictures, the film features cinematography by N. K. Ekambaram and a score by Srikanth Deva, while the soundtrack was composed by newcomer Varshan. The film, which was earlier titled Purampokku, a term used for a piece of land that is common to all, revolves around the relevance of capital punishment in a democratic and free society. The film released on 15 May 2015 to mixed reviews. It also marked Karthika's last performance before her retirement from films.

Surbhi Puranik, professionally known as Surbhi, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her film debut with the Tamil film Ivan Veramathiri (2013), for which she received SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut - Tamil and Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress nominations.

Udhay Avishek Karthik is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. Closely associated with director Gautham Vasudev Menon, Karthik has worked previously as Menon's assistant in the films Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007) and Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), before making a breakthrough as an actor through the director's experimental thriller Nadunisi Naaygal (2011).

Vikram Singh is a film producer who works in Tamil and Hindi-language films.

<i>Varisu</i> 2023 film directed by Vamshi Paidipally

Varisu ( transl. Heir) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally, who co-wrote the film with Hari, Ashishor Solomon and Vivek Velmurugan. Produced jointly by Dil Raju and Sirish under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations and PVP Cinema. The film stars Vijay in the main lead role alongside R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Shaam, Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rashmika Mandana, Jayasudha, Sangeetha, Samyuktha Shanmughanadhan, Nandini Rai, Yogi Babu, Ganesh Venkatraman, S. J. Suryah and Suman. It focuses on an entrepreneur's youngest son being named the chairman of his father's business, much to the dismay of his two brothers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Telugu film 'Kick' revives Shaam's career". Deccan Herald. 12 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com . Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  3. "Take everything in his stride". The Hindu. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Srinivasan, Sudhir (23 May 2015). "Acting is the last thing an actor should do". The Hindu.
  5. 1 2 "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com . Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rangarajan, Malathi (24 November 2003). "Sailing with SHAAM". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 7 December 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. "Archive News". The Hindu. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  8. "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com . Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  9. "Making progress steadily, surely". The Hindu. 19 October 2007.
  10. "Riding high on '12B' fame". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 15 January 2016.
  11. "Actor Shaam made his debut in Vijay's 'Kushi'". The Times of India .
  12. "Film Review: 12 B". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 27 December 2016.
  13. "Ticket to stardom on 12 B". The Hindu. 6 October 2001. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  14. 1 2 "The ABCD of Shaam's life!". Rediff.com. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  15. "Shaam Kicks his chocolate boy image". Indiaglitz. 18 April 2009.
  16. "Bhoot, now in Tamil". Rediff.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. Rangarajan, Malathi (7 August 2004). "Honour well deserved". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005. Retrieved 28 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. "I believe in inner resolve". The Hindu. 30 June 2005. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  19. "Review : (2005)". Sify . Archived from the original on 4 January 2022.
  20. "Tamil movie review : ABCD". www.behindwoods.com.
  21. "Manadodu Mazhaikalam review. Manadodu Mazhaikalam Tamil movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com.
  22. "Thananam Thananam Kannada Movies". Nowrunning.com. 26 November 2006.
  23. "Shaam takes the action route". The Times of India .
  24. "Review: Thoondil fails". www.rediff.com.
  25. "The beard's tale". The Hindu. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  26. "Neelo Naalo". The New Indian Express . 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  27. "Shaam turns producer". Sify . 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020.
  28. "Thillalangadi is a ridiculous pot-boiler". Rediff.
  29. "They call me Kick Shaam!". Rediff.
  30. "Race Gurram". Sify . Archived from the original on 25 October 2021.
  31. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (18 March 2010). "Grill Mill — Shaam". The Hindu.
  32. 1 2 Ramchandani, Binita (18 April 2014). "Race Gurram kick-starts Shaam's career". Deccan Chronicle.
  33. Special Corresspondent (28 May 2009). "My Telugu looks sell'". Deccan Chronicle . Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  34. "Veera Movie Review {2/5}: Critic Review of Veera by Times of India". The Times of India .
  35. "NTR Jr's back with Oosaravelli this Dussehra". Rediff.
  36. kavirayani, suresh (22 August 2015). "Movie review 'Kick 2': The first kick was better". Deccan Chronicle.
  37. "Kalyan Ram Kathi Movie Review {2/5}: Critic Review of Kalyan Ram Kathi by Times of India". The Times of India .
  38. "Oxygen Review: Entire first half runs on flimsy sequences". Sify . Archived from the original on 30 November 2017.
  39. "I have to lose 15 kilos for my next film". Rediff. 18 May 2011.
  40. Sangeetha, P (26 June 2012). "Shaam stuns Kollywood". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  41. "6 box office collection". www.behindwoods.com.
  42. Saravanan, T. (27 September 2013). "Shaam hits a six". The Hindu.
  43. Rajendra, Ranjani (11 April 2014). "Race Gurram: Allu all the way". The Hindu.
  44. "Shaam walks out of Kaala Koothu". The Times of India . 16 January 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  45. Nicy V.P (15 May 2015). "'Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai' Movie Review: A Slow-Paced Movie Featuring Vijay Sethupathi, Arya, Shaam". International Business Times.
  46. Khajane, Muralidhara (27 February 2016). "Where every character plays a 'Game'". The Hindu.
  47. "Game Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". The Times of India . Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  48. Subramanian, Anupama (2 July 2016). "Oru Melliya Kodu movie review: Despite glitches, worth a watch". Deccan Chronicle.
  49. "Review: Santhu... is out-and-out Yash's show". The New Indian Express. 29 October 2016.
  50. "Arya helps Shaam make his Mollywood debut". The Times of India .
  51. "Shaam's 'Kaaviyan', a cop thriller set in Las Vegas". The New Indian Express. 17 October 2019.
  52. "Kaaviyyan Movie Review: A sloppy script staged in an artificial set up with hardly any character arc". The Times of India .
  53. "Mayabazar 2016 Tamil remake goes on floors". Cinema Express . 14 September 2020.
  54. "Thalapathy Vijay wanted to do a family entertainer for his fans, says Varisu co-star Shaam | Exclusive". 5 January 2023.
  55. "With love, my dear!". Times of India. 19 December 2009.
  56. "Shaam to tie the knot!". The Hindu. 9 December 2002.
  57. "Dance battle with a twist". 20 October 2021.