This child was the hero of the film who reached the Oscars, won the National Award, now living such a life

Cinema worldwide has become a means of entertainment, but also a means of emotional connection. Every year countless films of different zonar are released, sometimes romantic, sometimes action and sometimes based on true events. Some films show amazing at the box office, while some are remembered even after years due to their depth and sensitivity. One such film is’ Salaam Bombay which was released in 1988. Directed by Meera Nair, the film did not get much discussed in that era, but over time it started being counted among Indian cinema. After all, Bollywood veteran actor Irrfan Khan was recognized in the cinema world from this film.

Could not get identification even by becoming a hero

By the way, Irrfan was not a lead but supporting actor in this film, the soul of this film was a 12 -year -old boy, which was played by Shafiq Syed. He landed in the hearts of the audience as ‘Chapu’, the main character of the film. Even though the film was supported by big stars Nana Patekar, Raghuveer Yadav, Irrfan Khan, Anita Kanwar, the entire story of the film revolves around Chapu i.e. Shafiq Syed. Shafiq was awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for this film, which showed the bitter truth of the streets of Mumbai with the eyes of an innocent child. People felt that now Shafiq’s luck shone and he will emerge as a big name in the cinema world and will become the new star of Bollywood.

Shafiq with Irfan Khan.

From the dazzle, towards conflicts

But regrettably, despite this success of the film, Shafiq Syed’s life was not the same as that of a child artist. Neither he tasted the taste of financial progress nor did he have many films. They are still traveling a journey full of struggle away from dazzling. Shafiq was born and raised in the slums of Bengaluru. In a teenage age, he ran away with friends and reached Mumbai, where he spent the day on the sidewalk near the railway station. Meera Nair caught sight of him and was cast in ‘Salaam Bombay’. For the film, he used to get 20 rupees daily and a vada in the form of lunch.

Now running homes by driving auto

After ‘Salaam Bombay’, Shafiq acted in another 1994 film ‘Kite’ by Meera Nair, but after that he disappeared from the film world. He returned to his family to Bangalore, where he started living a common life. Today Shafiq Syed runs an auto rickshaw. He also works temporarily with small production houses to feed the family and meet the needs, especially in the Kannada TV industry. In an old interview to Telegraph, he said, ‘I had to take responsibility of my family. There was no such responsibility in 1987. Now there is a burden of many people on my shoulder.

Battle between family and dreams

Shafiq is the head of a family today. He lives in a small town 30 km from Bangalore with his wife, mother, three sons and a daughter. Even though he is remembered for ‘Salaam Bombay’, the film is far from his life. In 2008, when ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ gained popularity internationally, people remembered ‘Salaam Bombay’ and Chapu, but Shafiq had returned to a common life by then, where there is a name for their struggle every day. Shafiq Syed’s story reveals the reality of Indian cinema where art is found, but the future of the artist is often lost in the mist. This child, who once won millions of hearts in the form of Chapu, is still looking for a better life.

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