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Shifting track
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Chocolate boy Abbas turns to negative roles
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PHOTO: M. MOORTHY
COMMITTED Willing to do challenging roles.
His ambition was to become the hero of the skies, but he ultimately landed in the dream industry becoming a reel hero. His chocolate boy image and charm shot him into prominence overnight thanks to his maiden Tamil film, "Kaadhal Desam." It changed the course of his life ever since.
It is almost a decade now since Mirza Abbas Ali a.k.a Abbas entered Kollywood, doing a mosaic of roles, mostly romantic. Now, the model-turned-actor is trying to change his image by doing negative roles.
"I was a stranger to the Tamil culture and never thought I would fit in here, since I was clean-shaven," he says.
He was just 19. "I just did that as a hobby, but it was certainly a pleasurable experience acting with Tabu and Vineet," he says. "Being a smash hit, I didn't know how to overcome overnight stardom."
Once the project was over, Abbas wentback to Mumbai. But, the boyish image and the clean-shaven look fetched him more offers. He has done 65-70 movies till now in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.
"I thought cinema would be easy but it was very technical." His inability to speak Tamil did not come in his way and offers started to pour. The list includes V.I.P, Poochudava, Asaithambi, Ini Ellam Sugame, Kandu Kondein Kandu Kondein, Malabar Police, Padayappa and Hey Ram.
A romantic hero, Abbas had teamed up with another actor in most of his films, such as Vineet, Prabhu Deva, Ajit or Mammootty. "I learnt a lot from Vineet," he says
What was it like working with superstar Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan? "Oh, Rajnikanth is just amazing. He has got the right attitude and encourages the co-artistes," says Abbas. "Kamal sir is a walking encyclopaedia."
Having picked up Tamil, Abbas says he is now trying to change his image. "I have taken efforts to change my chocolate boy image." In fact, he is doing an anti-hero role in a Telugu film Sathyam Shivam Sundaram.
R. RAJARAM
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