Having played the role of a 40-something man in
Vishal Bhardwaj`s
Saath Khoon Maaf at the age of 21, Vivaan Shah is a theater actor and director, and movie actor. While he made his movie debut in 2011, he had actively been associated with theater before that, performing in school and college plays.
Early Life Born to veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and
Ratna Pathak Shah, Vivaan Shah grew up with his elder brother
Imaad Shah, who, like him, is a theater and movie actor, and his half-sibling Heeba Shah, who is also a stage actor. Vivaan studied in a Mumbai school up until his sixth standard, following which he studied at Doon School, which is a boarding school in Dehradun. While studying at the boarding school, Vivaan aspired to become a historian. Upon completing his schooling, he applied at Delhi University`s St. Stephen`s College but missed out on getting history honours by just a mark. Unhappy with just pursuing a regular BA Honours, he moved back to Mumbai after his first year of degree college, and studied at Jai Hind College.
Personal Life Vivaan met
Akshara Haasan, the younger daughter of actor
Kamal Haasan, on the sets of the crime drama Hey Ram, which starred both of their fathers, as kids. The two childhood friends bonded over their mutual liking and understanding of movies, owing to their parents` profession. The two started dating in 2011 but, after two years of being together, the two parted ways in 2013, however, maintaining their friendship.
Theatre Career
Like his parents, Vivaan is also an avid theater enthusiast and is a part of Motley, a theatre group co-founded by his father Naseeruddin Shah and
Benjamin Gilani in 1979. He has shared the stage with his father a few times, however, he has a keen interest in writing and directing plays. Making his debut as a director, Vivaan directed the 2015 play titled Comedy of Horrors, which was performed at the Tata Literature Live! festival on its first day.
Movie Career Upon returning to Mumbai to pursue his BA honours in history, he was approached by Vishal Bhardwaj, who had, in the past, composed music for various Motley`s plays, to play the role of a 45-year-old forensic pathologist, Arun, in his black comedy 7 Khoon Maaf, that starred
Priyanka Chopra in the lead. The movie received immense critical acclaim but wasn`t as commercially successful as expected. Next, in 2014, he was cast in
Farah Khan heist comedy
Happy New Year, which comprised an ensemble cast of
Shah Rukh Khan,
Deepika Padukone,
Abhishek Bachchan,
Sonu Sood,
Boman Irani, and
Jackie Shroff. Although the movie was mostly panned by the critics, it emerged as a commercial success and is listed as one of Bollywood`s highest-grossing movies.
The following year, in 2015, he was cast alongside
Anushka Sharma,
Ranbir Kapoor, and
Karan Johar in
Anurag Kashyap`s period crime-drama
Bombay Velvet. The movie was lauded for its visual appeal but it was a box office disaster. Vivaan then shot for two short films Scraggy Mutt and Khajaou, both of which released in 2016. Playing the titular role in the 2017 comedy drama
Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana, Vivaan was paired opposite Akshara Haasan. The movie explores the comedic situations that both the families are met with during the extravagant wedding of their children, played by Akshara and Vivaan. His release for the year include
Munna Michael, which stars
Tiger Shroff in the lead and focusses on the life of a boy named Munna who is a diehard fan of Michael Jackson and participates in the dance competition, taking up the stage name of Munna Michael. His 2020 release includes Ae Kaash Ke Hum. His 2021 release includes Kabaad The Coin.