Ruslaan Mumtaz. Does the name sound unfamiliar to you? Well don’t be freaked, we didn’t expect you all to know of this name and personality.
Indian cinema once again extends its welcoming arms to a fresh talent and face. With the recent release Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar, Ruslaan Mumtaz, son of actress Anjana Mumtaz (plays Shilpa’s mother in Dhadkan), takes his first steps into the world of Indian cinema.
Only a few months into the industry and this young talent is making headlines everywhere. The works of Anupam Kher’s acting school and Shamaik Davar’s Dancing Academy have worked wonders in creating a fantastic performer.
With a light hearted college romantic movie titled Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar (MP3), that is entertaining audiences across the globe, Ruslaan has certainly made a special place for himself. One only has to talk to acclaimed actor and director, Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik respectively, to get clarifications.
Anupam Kher was in a dilemna when casting his next venture. However, after seeing Ruslaan’s confidence level and performance in his debut movie, he decided that Ruslaan’s acting and dancing abilities were just what he was looking for in an actor for the role he had in mind. Mr. Kher has even gone ahead to say that Ruslaan is certainly his proudest product out of his acting school. Now with both Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik’s projects tucked away, Ruslaan is busier than ever before.
One might assume with his perfect portrayal of a 17 year old in MP3, that he is indeed a 17 year old, but they would be deeply mistaken. Ruslaan is actually 24, however the portrayal of a 17 year old was not tough for him as he related with much of the character’s dilemmas.
“Many of the scenes in my debut film seem to be straight out of my own life when I was 17. I was involved with a girl for several years. I didn’t run away to Paris to meet my girlfriend like my character in MP3. But I did lie to my parents and ran away to meet my girlfriend in Mahabaleshwar once,” Ruslaan told IANS.
Sadly the real life college love story of Ruslaan wasn’t as successful as his onscreen character Rohan’s. Ruslaan’s love story didn’t have a happy ending. However with a career that is brighter than ever now, Ruslaan has no time to dwell on the past.
Currently the rising star is busy shooting for his second movie and reading a vast amount of scripts and on verge of signing quite a few as well.
One would have assumed that having a parent in the industry and attending the academy of Shamaik Davar, whose reputation exceeds him, would have been huge assets for Ruslaan. Ruslaan, himself, claims that he always thought that his dream of becoming a star would be quite easily fulfilled through these two connections however that wasn’t the case. The struggle Ruslaan faced in order to get a reputable debut was no less than any other wanna-be actor’s. Ruslaan was chosen for the role out of 8000 – 9000 youngsters who auditioned for director Robby Grewal in some of the biggest metros in India. The struggle to get recognized was tougher than ever, since Robby Grewal was searching anywhere and everywhere. He even offered anyone interested in acting to simply walk in and audition! Now that is a hard task to stand out in a crowd of 8000 to 9000 young talents!
However, at the end of the day, he got here and most importantly has made an impression that is bigger than he could have dreamed of. Not only on his lady fans, but also his leading lady co-stars!
One hears that Sheena Shahbadi, who is the teenager co-starring with Ruslaan in his second movie Tere Sang, is absolutely head over heels for the young lad.
A close source of the Tere Sang unit enclosed to OneIndia, “Sheena is a young girl and it’s not uncommon for a girl of her age to have a crush on a good looking guy. Ruslaan obviously enjoyed all the attention. They ate together, had loads of fun and whenever possible, spent time with each other in their rooms. But she tried to keep this fondness a secret, probably because her mother was mostly around. On the last day of the shoot in Dalhousie, they got lost together in the wilderness and we had to keep waiting for them to can a few shots. That day Satishji also got very irritated,” says a close source from the unit.”
But wait there is more! Sheena’s crush didn’t end on the sets. One hears that she was extremely jealous of Hazel (leading lady of MP3).
Ruslaan is yet to comment on the impression he has left on the ladies, however a young boy like himself could have hardly minded all the attention! After all a crush is hardly harmful! And who can blame Sheena!
Newspapers and Bollywood Portals have gone so far ahead to title him as a possible threat to the current young heartthrob of Indian Cinema, Shahid Kapoor. After all since Ishq Vishk, no other young male has left a big impression on makers and audiences through a college romance flick!
For now, audiences are eagerly waiting to see more of this talent to officially crown him a threat to Shahid or someone of his kind! And to do so, make sure you all catch Ruslaan in the upcoming Satish Kaushik directed Tere Sang and Anupam Kher’s untitled venture.
