Shazahn Padamsee
Encyclopedia
Shazahn Padamsee is an Indian film and stage actress, who has also worked a model. Daughter of noted actors Alyque Padamsee
and Sharon Prabhakar
, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 Hindi
film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
. After the failure of her début film, she went on to appear in two South Indian films, gaining credit from critics for her performance, before featuring in Madhur Bhandarkar
's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji in a prominent role.
's Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
opposite Ranbir Kapoor
. Shazhan played Sherena in the film, the first customer who treats the titular character with respect during his job as a salesman. Although she played the leading female role, her screen-time was minimal leading to critics claiming that her role had little scope. The film opened to positive reviews, but the lack of publicity became a reason for it becoming a failure commercially at the box office.
Her second and third films were released on the same day, both being South Indian films in Tamil
and Telugu
respectively. In Kanimozhi
, Shazahn played the role of Anu, a girl in the neighbourhood who the lead actor, played by Jai
is nervous to express his feelings to. She had been approached after the director had looked through an online portfolio, and only signed after consent from her father. Upon release, the film gained mixed reviews with Shazahn's portrayal of her character being criticised. Critics claimed that she "looked pretty and was photographed well" but she could have "expressed more energy and expression" into her role, labelling her as a Barbie
doll. However her Telugu film Orange garnered more positive reviews and Shazahn's portrayal of her role was better received by critics. Shazahn's character of Rooba, originally named after a song in the film, appeared in a flashback sequence as the girlfriend of the protagonist played by Ram Charan Teja
. A critic from NDTV
said her performance was "a delight to watch" and that "Padamsee looks set for a long innings down South", whilst similar claims the critics from Sify
and The Hindu
claims that she "shines in her role" and that she "brings freshness to the screen".
Shazahn's first release of 2011 was the romantic comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji directed by Madhur Bhandarkar
. The film portrayed her as June Pinto, an intern in an office whom an older divorced man, played by Ajay Devgn falls for. The film, which also featured Emraan Hashmi
, Omi Vaidya
, Shruti Haasan
and Shraddha Das
in other parallel roles, saw Shazahn indulge in heavy promotional work along with her co-stars. Shazahn's performance gaining mixed responses from critics with a reviewer citing that "looks like a doll and gets the character right" whilst another labelled hers as "the film's worst performance"; the film went on to become a commercial success at the box office.
Alyque Padamsee
Alyque Padamsee is an Indian theater personality and ad film maker. He is probably best known in the English-speaking world for playing Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the film Gandhi...
and Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar is an Indian pop singer, theatre personality and public speaker. She was an active singer in 1980s and 90s, with a total of seven albums to her credit.-Career:...
, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a Hindi film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Yash Raj Films. Screenplay of the film is by Jaideep Sahni, who collaborated with Shimit Amin for Chak De! India. Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee and Gauhar Khan play primary roles in the movie...
. After the failure of her début film, she went on to appear in two South Indian films, gaining credit from critics for her performance, before featuring in Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar is a National Award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. He is best known for his films such as Chandni Bar , Page 3 , Traffic Signal , and Fashion...
's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji in a prominent role.
Career
After appearances in several stage performances including her father's play Unspoken Dialogues, Shazahn appeared in several national advertisements, whilst auditioning for roles in Hindi films. After a film with Vivek Vaswani failed to materialize, she successfully auditioned for the part in Yash Raj StudioYash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films is an Indian Entertainment company set up by Yash Chopra, an Indian film director and producer who is considered an entertainment mogul in India.-Initial years:...
's Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a Hindi film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Yash Raj Films. Screenplay of the film is by Jaideep Sahni, who collaborated with Shimit Amin for Chak De! India. Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee and Gauhar Khan play primary roles in the movie...
opposite Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
. Shazhan played Sherena in the film, the first customer who treats the titular character with respect during his job as a salesman. Although she played the leading female role, her screen-time was minimal leading to critics claiming that her role had little scope. The film opened to positive reviews, but the lack of publicity became a reason for it becoming a failure commercially at the box office.
Her second and third films were released on the same day, both being South Indian films in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
respectively. In Kanimozhi
Kanimozhi (film)
Kanimozhi is a 2010 Tamil-language musical romance film. Directed and written by Sripathi Rangasamy and jointly produced by T. Siva and Sona Heiden, it stars Jai and Shazahn Padamsee in the lead roles. The film features music composed by Satish Chakravarthy, cinematography by Chidamparam and...
, Shazahn played the role of Anu, a girl in the neighbourhood who the lead actor, played by Jai
Jai (actor)
Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
is nervous to express his feelings to. She had been approached after the director had looked through an online portfolio, and only signed after consent from her father. Upon release, the film gained mixed reviews with Shazahn's portrayal of her character being criticised. Critics claimed that she "looked pretty and was photographed well" but she could have "expressed more energy and expression" into her role, labelling her as a Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
doll. However her Telugu film Orange garnered more positive reviews and Shazahn's portrayal of her role was better received by critics. Shazahn's character of Rooba, originally named after a song in the film, appeared in a flashback sequence as the girlfriend of the protagonist played by Ram Charan Teja
Ram Charan Teja
Ram Charan Teja Konidala is an Indian film actor. He is the son of Telugu actor Chiranjeevi. He made his debut as lead actor with the film Chirutha in 2007. He currently serves on the board of directors for MAA TV. He was the brand ambassador for Pepsi and Airtel in Andhra Pradesh for sometime...
. A critic from NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
said her performance was "a delight to watch" and that "Padamsee looks set for a long innings down South", whilst similar claims the critics from Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
and The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
claims that she "shines in her role" and that she "brings freshness to the screen".
Shazahn's first release of 2011 was the romantic comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji directed by Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar is a National Award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. He is best known for his films such as Chandni Bar , Page 3 , Traffic Signal , and Fashion...
. The film portrayed her as June Pinto, an intern in an office whom an older divorced man, played by Ajay Devgn falls for. The film, which also featured Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...
, Omi Vaidya
Omi Vaidya
Omi Vaidya is an Indian American actor who is best known for his performance as Chatur Ramalingam or "The Silencer" in the 2009 Bollywood film, 3 Idiots. In addition, Vaidya has directed two short films and worked as an editor on others. He has also appeared in a number of television programs and...
, Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan is an Indian actress, singer and music composer who has worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. Her parents are noted actors, Kamal Haasan and Sarika. As a child artiste, she sang in films and appeared in a guest role, before making her adult acting debut in the 2009 action drama,...
and Shraddha Das
Shraddha Das
Shraddha Das is an Indian film actress who has mainly appeared in Telugu films.-Early life:Shraddha Das was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra to Bengali parents. Her father is a businessman, who hails from Purulia, while her mother is a housewife. She was brought up in Mumbai, where she completed her...
in other parallel roles, saw Shazahn indulge in heavy promotional work along with her co-stars. Shazahn's performance gaining mixed responses from critics with a reviewer citing that "looks like a doll and gets the character right" whilst another labelled hers as "the film's worst performance"; the film went on to become a commercial success at the box office.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year is a Hindi film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Yash Raj Films. Screenplay of the film is by Jaideep Sahni, who collaborated with Shimit Amin for Chak De! India. Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee and Gauhar Khan play primary roles in the movie... |
Sherena | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Kanimozhi Kanimozhi (film) Kanimozhi is a 2010 Tamil-language musical romance film. Directed and written by Sripathi Rangasamy and jointly produced by T. Siva and Sona Heiden, it stars Jai and Shazahn Padamsee in the lead roles. The film features music composed by Satish Chakravarthy, cinematography by Chidamparam and... |
Anu | Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... |
|
| Orange | Rooba | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
||
| 2011 | Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji | June Pinto | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Housefull 2 | Hindi | Filming |