Imaad Shah's hair-raising story

By: Praveen Lance Fernandes, IndiaFM
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
"For Heaven's sake discard the monstrous wig which makes the English judges look like rats peeping through bunches of oakum" . These were the words of late US President Thomas Jefferson. We really wonder what he would have said had he seen Imaad Shah's hairdo.

Sometimes weird things can bag you good films. In this case it was Imaad's hair or was it? One of the leads of Dil Dosti etc, Imaad enacts the role of a spoilt rich kid in the film. After a walk on part in his father Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota, one would have expected Imaad to jump into the movie bandwagon and starting signing films.

However that was not the case. Being the son of one of the most talented actor in India, the lad confesses that he is not keen on an acting career. "Apart from Dil Dosti etc. there are no more film projects. I am just hanging around right now", says the young man. So with that, one would think that he didn't go out of his way to bag the film. So how did it all happen? The tale is quite funny...

Much before his minor stint in YHTKH, Imaad went onto do the Nestle Polo ad. Remember the ad with a Shepard boy with curly hair who after popping a Polo in his mouth breathes out only to blow a whistle through the mint? Split ending (Pun intended) the ad with the line 'Polo Khao, Seethi Bajao', that young Shepard was Imaad himself.

Connection to Dil Dosti etc.?

Director Manish Tiwary tells us, "I saw him in the Nestle Polo ad, whistling to the sheep! I liked him instantly and thought he would be perfect for the role of Apurv."

Well almost perfect!

"Of course, I wanted him to get rid of that ugly wig. And imagine my surprise when I met him for the first time and realized that the fizzy hair comes with him. That was his real hair", laughs the director.

On asking Imaad about this he said, "Manish saw me somewhere and he thought I looked all right."

Well, obviously Manish's views on Imaad's hairstyle hadn't reached Imaad's ears.

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