Says Salaam Bombay National Award winner Shafiq Syed, about a new movie that is being made on him -- he says that it is nowhere close to his life

'This is not what happened with my life'

Says Salaam Bombay National Award winner Shafiq Syed, about a new movie that is being made on himu00a0-- he says that it is nowhere close to his life

On record: Shafiq works as a sound recordist for a Kannada serial.
When there are no shoots, he drives a rickshaw. Pic/Madhusudan Maney

"I got the final script through e-mail and I was shocked because this is not what happened with my life. What will people think of me when the movie is out?," said Shafiq.

He added, "There was no agreement between the production house and me. I am very happy that a movie will be done on my life story, but what is the point when there is no truth in it."

Hard worker
For the past six months, Shafiq is working as a sound recordist for a Kannada serial, and when there are no shoots, he drives an auto rickshaw. "I work as a recordist for 20 days in a month, and the rest I drive an auto. For the first job I am paid Rs 600 a day," said Shafiq.

Shafiq had left for Mumbai when he was 12-year-old. He recalls that he used to beg near a Dargah at Churchgate and sleep on the footpath.

Flashback
"Once when we were standing at the railway station, a man approached us and asked if we were interested in acting in a play. Then they conducted a workshop, and I was selected for the lead role," he recalls. The rest, as they say, was history. Shafiq got the National Award for the best child artist.

Later, he worked in Patang, that too won the national award in the best film category. But this was the end of his acting career and Shafiq was back on the streets of Bangalore.

Director Vivek Shukla said, "I decided to make a film on his life story. The shoot will start in couple of months once everything is finalised."

Shukla added, "The story is not final yet, as Shafiq wants some changes in it. Unless and until he is not satisfied we can't go ahead."

Laurels

Awards bagged by Salaam Bombay in the year 1988:
>>Audience Award, Cannes Film Festival
>>Golden Camera, Cannes Film Festival
>>National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
>>National Film Award for Best Child Artiste: Shafiq Syed
>>National Board of Review Awards, Top Foreign Film
>>Lilian Gish Award Excellence in Feature Film, Los Angeles Women in Film Festival (tied with Elysium)
>>Jury Prize, Montreal World Film Festival (tied with The Dawning)
>>Most Popular Film, Montreal World Film Festival
>>Prize of Ecumenical Jury, Montreal World Film Festival