Abbas | |
---|---|
Born | Mirza Abbas Ali 21 May 1975 [1] Howrah, West Bengal, India. |
Occupation(s) | Actor, model, motivational speaker |
Years active | 1996-2015 |
Spouse | Erum Ali (m. 1997) |
Children | 2 |
Mirza Abbas Ali (born 21 May 1975) is an Indian actor, model, filmmaker and motivational speaker who has predominantly appeared in Tamil and Telugu cinema. [2] He is also known for his works in the Malayalam and Kannada movies, while also appearing in Hindi films. Abbas is the recipient of several awards and honours. Apart from acting, Abbas has also ventured into film production and has been involved in philanthropic activities. While his on-screen presence has decreased in recent years, Abbas continues to be remembered for his contributions to the Tamil film industry.
Following his career as a fashion model, he made his film debut with Kathir's Kadhal Desam (1996) which became a great success and gave him instant recognition. Abbas worked in successful movies — VIP (1997), Pooveli (1998), Padayappa (1999), Suyamvaram (1999), Malabar Police (1999), Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), Minnale (2001), Aanandham (2001), Pammal K. Sambandam (2002), Adi Thadi (2004), Guru En Aalu (2009) and Ramanujan (2014). [3] He also appeared in hit Telugu films — Priya O Priya (1997), Rajahamsa (1997), Raja (1999) and Anasuya (2007). Abbas also gained a significant name in Kannada and Malayalam films — Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu (1999) and Appu and Pappu (2010).
He continued to appear in lead roles, which were unsuccessful, before continuing his career as part of ensemble casts and in antagonistic roles. He quit acting in films after 2015 when he moved to New Zealand and became a motivational speaker. In 2023, Abbas returned to Chennai after a long hiatus. He said he is interested in making a comeback, while looking for a good offer. While he continue to appear in many interviews and TV shows such as Bigg Boss
His full name is Mirza Abbas Ali and was born on 21 May 1975 in Howrah, which is twin city of Kolkata. Abbas revealed that he went through a phase of being a "troubled teenager". [4] He failed in 10th exam and his girlfriend left him. [4] This event turned him taking his own life. [4] As he stood on the verge of stepping in front of a truck, he noticed a motorcyclist following closely behind. [4] This realization struck him deeply, as he understood that his actions would not only harm himself but also potentially injure the unsuspecting motorcyclist. [4] This sudden awareness shifted his mindset and compelled him to reconsider his decision. [4]
He mentioned that his first priority was to become an Air Force pilot, indicating that he had a passion for aviation and wanted to pursue a career in the Indian Air Force. [5] However, he wasn't successful in clearing the entrance examination for the National Defence Academy (NDA), which is the premier training institute for the Indian Armed Forces. [5] After his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot didn't materialize, Abbas had an alternate plan to pursue MBA. [5] However, he states that he didn't clear the NDA entrance exam, implying that this setback led him to explore other opportunities. [5]
Abbas grew up watching Hindi films. His maternal grandfather being an actor Farrukh Mirza acted in Neel Darpan (Bengali) and his paternal family being related to actor Feroz Khan. [6] He partook in modelling assignments since his modeling in the college days won "Face of 94" in Bangalore. [6] His model colleagues were Dino Morea, Suman Ranganathan, Rajeev Gopalkrishna, Rahul Dev and Sameer Malhotra. [5] Following the success of his debut film "Kadhal Desam," Abbas received more acting offers, which prompted him to consider a career in the film industry. [5] He mentions that the offers poured in after the film became a hit, indicating that the success of his first film opened doors for him in the acting field. [5] Ultimately, Abbas decided to venture into acting once he completed his college education. [5] This suggests that he saw potential in the opportunities presented to him in the film industry and chose to pursue a career in acting rather than continuing with his initial plans of becoming an Air Force pilot or pursuing an MBA. [5]
Initially, after hearing that director Kadhir was looking for a new actor for his latest venture, Abbas had recommended his friends who knew Tamil to audition and took part in a speculative audition at the insistence of his friend. Kadhir was impressed with Abbas' performance and invited him to a screen test for Kadhal Desam (1996), before eventually signing him on to play a leading role. [7] Unfamiliar with the Tamil language, Abbas memorised his lines on the set of the film and Kadhir began the shoot with easier portions, in order to ease Abbas into his role. [7] Featuring alongside Vineeth and Tabu, Kadhal Desam became a critical and commercial success and Abbas was dubbed by the media as a "heart-throb" and garnered several more acting offers. [8]
His busy schedule meant that he missed out on various successful films including Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) and Jeans (1998), which later became big hits. The Tamil films he appeared in such as Jolly (1998) Ini Ellam Sugame (1998), Aasai Thambi (1998) were predominantly box office failures. Meanwhile, the success of Kaadhal Desam's dubbed Telugu version — Prema Desam, allowed him to make a breakthrough in Telugu films and his next ventures Priya O Priya (1997) and Rajahamsa (1998) were profitable. He also appeared in the youth-centric Kannada film, Shanti Shanti Shanti (1998), featuring alongside debutant Madhavan for the first time. [8]
Abbas co-stared with Karthik in Pooveli (1998). The movie went on to became a blockbuster at the box-office and remained his only hit film of 1998. He began the year 1999 with many Telugu and Tamil films. In 1999, he debuted in Malayalam cinema with Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu, paired with Manju Warrier The film became a great success and was declared a super-hit. He then played a pivotal, though a lead role in Telugu drama film Raja (1999), co-staring with Venkatesh and Soundarya and became a blockbuster of 1999.
In 1999, Abbas appeared as a son-in-law of Rajinikanth in Padayappa , which was the highest-grossing Tamil film of 1999 and broke record of the previous film Indian (1996) and Baashha (1995). He then appeared in Suyamvaram (1998), which became unique as it brought together 14 major directors, 19 cinematographers and over 30 leading actors in the Tamil film industry. The film also holds the Guinness World Record for casting the most stars in a film and also for being the quickest ever feature-length film made, with filming being completed in 23 hours and 58 minutes. Most critics praised the intentions of the makers. Abbas then co-stared with Venkatesh and Soundarya in Raja (1999), which became one of the blockbuster hits of Telugu cinema.
Following a spell of commercially disappointing Tamil films as the lead actor, Abbas worked on several prestigious films in the early 2000s as a second hero. [7] He portrayed the role of a doctor in Kamal Haasan's historical film, Hey Ram (2000). Abbas then appeared in Rajiv Menon's multi-starrer Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), in which he was paired with Aishwarya Rai, and the film went on to win positive reviews from critics. [9] In 2001, he made further supporting appearances in the commercially successful films, Minnale by Gautham Vasudev Menon and Aanandham by N. Linguswamy, with Mammootty as well in Pammal K. Sambandam (2002) with Kamal Haasan again, and critics labelled the period as a "career high". [7] He appeared in a music video for Rajshri Pictures and was subsequently given the opportunity from producers to appear in Hindi films, then made his debut with Ansh: The Deadly Part (2002). [7] The failure of the film prompted two further films, including Aur Phir with Bipasha Basu to be shelved, and he continued to appear in Tamil films in supporting roles through the mid-2000s. [10]
With multi-starrers diminishing in Tamil cinema, Abbas appeared in some low-budget ventures such as Unarchigal (2006) and 47A Besant Nagar Varai (2006), before opting to pursue anti-hero roles. [11] He starred as a womaniser in the horror film Shock (2004) and Thiruttu Payale (2006), and then also played a comic villain in Sadhu Miranda (2008) and Guru En Aalu (2009). In 2010, he made a return to Kannada films with the family drama Appu and Pappu , portraying the father of young boy. [6] In recent years, Abbas has appeared in television serials, while he also portrayed scientist Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in Ramanujan (2014). [12] Due to his fading interest in acting, he shifted to Auckland, New Zealand, where he worked in menial jobs to support his family before becoming a motivational speaker. [13] [14]
Abbas has appeared as a motivational speaker on the media. He have spread awareness about suicidal thoughts through online workshops and seminars. [15]
Abbas was born on 21 May 1975. He married Erum Hussain Khan, in 1997. [16] After marriage, Erum launched her own label known as Erum ALi & EA Bridal Lounge. The couple have a daughter and a son. [17] Erum designed costumes for movies, notably Aayirathil Oruvan and Guru En Aalu , where Abbas' co-star Madhavan's wife, Saritha, also worked as a designer. [18]
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Abbas is an Indian film actor known for his works in Tamil and Telugu cinema. He also gained popularity in Malayalam movies and has worked in Kannada and Hindi cinema as well. He made his acting debut in Kadhal Desam (1996), with Vineeth and Tabu and the movie became a great success. He made his Telugu debut with — Priya O Priya (1997), followed by Rajahamsa (1998), which were box-office success. After a series of failures, Abbas appeared alongside Karthik in Pooveli (1998), which later became a blockbuster. In 1999 debuted in Malayalam cinema with Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu, which became super-hit.