Working with Manoj Bajpayee has been a true gift: The Family Man’s Shahab Ali

Bollywood actor Shahab Ali plays the antagonist Sajid in The Family Man season 1 and 2.

The second season, starring Manoj Bajpayee and created by Raj and DK, was released to positive responses on Amazon Prime Video. In it, we see Sajid teaming up with Samantha Akkineni’s Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel in exile.

"Sajid is a lone wolf,” said Shahab about his menacing character. “He doesn't like to take orders from anyone and he loves to do things his way. In season two, he is much more fierce and evil. His energy is one notch up from the previous season."

Shahab has completed his three-year acting training at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. The actor said he has grown up idolizing Manoj Bajpayee, who was a former instructor at the institute.

"I used to idolize him during my training days,” Shahad said. “The experience of working with him has been a true gift and I have truly enjoyed every second spent in his presence.

“In season two, we had some great moments together. The best thing about acting with Manoj sir is that he improvises and plays around in the scene and yet stays in the boundary of the scene and the character.”

Shahab said he was intrigued by the relationship between Sajid and Raji in the series.

“Their graph is so intricate and beautiful. Samantha, as an actor, is extremely professional and focused and that's why we had some really magical moments while acting together. It was very smooth and effortless with her.”

Speaking about Shahab’s performance, director duo Raj and DK commented, “Shahab is a natural and has had a fantastic formal training as well which makes him a complete package. He is a director’s actor and grasps his character with ease. His scenes with Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha have come out really well, so it's always interesting to put him with other actors and see him emote and respond to improvisations.”

Shahab has previously appeared in Kedarnath (2018). He also headlined the broadway-style musicals Mughal-E-Azam and Zangoora-The Gypsy Prince.