Meet actor, who worked in an Oscar-winning film, won National Award for his role, now drives auto-rickshaw to earn money; His name is...

India.com

03-07-2025

Cinema has become not just a medium of entertainment but also a means of emotional bonding across the world. Every year, countless films of different genres are released, sometimes romantic, sometimes action, and sometimes based on true events. Some films do wonders at the box office, while others are remembered for years due to their depth and sensitivity. One such film is Salaam Bombay , which was released in 1988. Directed by Mira Nair, this film did not receive much attention at the time, but over the years, it has come to be regarded as a cult classic of Indian cinema. Notably, Bollywood's veteran actor Irrfan Khan gained recognition in the cinema world through this film.
The movie depicted the daily lives of children living in slums in Bombay. The movie also featured Raghuvir Yadav, Shafiq Syed, Anita Kanwar, Nana Patekar, Hansa Vithal and Chanda Sharma. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 61st Academy Awards, the film was India's second film submission to be so nominated. The film also got two National Film Awards, one for the Best Feature Film in Hindi and another Best Child Artist to Shafiq Syed.
Although Irrfan Khan was not the lead actor in this film but a supporting one, the soul of Salaam Bombay was a 12-year-old boy played by Shafiq Syed. He captured the hearts of the audience as the film's main character, Chaipau. Even though the film featured well-known actors, the entire story revolves around Chaipau, played by Shafiq Syed. People believed that his luck had finally turned and that he would rise to become a big name in the cinema world, a new star of Bollywood.
But the sad reality is that despite the success of Salaam Bombay, Shafiq's life did not turn out the way it should have for a child artist. He neither experienced financial growth nor received many film offers. Even today, he continues to live a life far removed from glamour. Shafiq was born and raised in the slums of Bangalore. As a teenager, he ran away to Mumbai with his friends and spent his days living on the footpaths near the railway station. It was during this time that Mira Nair noticed him and cast him in Salaam Bombay . For the film, he was paid Rs 20 per day and given a vada for lunch.
After Salaam Bombay, Shafiq worked in another Mira Nair film, 'Patang' in 1994, but after that, he disappeared from the film world. He returned to Bangalore to his family, where he started living a normal life. Today, Shafiq Syed drives an auto rickshaw. To feed his family and fulfil their needs, he also works temporarily with small production houses, especially in the Kannada TV industry. In an old interview with the Telegraph, he had said, 'I had to take responsibility for my family. There was no such responsibility in 1987. Now I have the burden of many people on my shoulders.'
Shafiq is the head of a family today. He lives with his wife, mother, three sons and a daughter in a small town, 30 km from Bengaluru. He may be remembered for Salaam Bombay , but the glamour of films is now far away from his life.