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A royal love for the arc lights
THE ROYAL blood flows in him as naturally as does his passion for acting. He was once Awadh?s Nawab. Meet Syed Badrul Hasan Sahab Bahadur, now your own ?Pappu Polyester?. Born in the royal family of Awadh, it was difficult for the young nawab to ?stoop to? acting as the family wanted him to do a respectable job. But his heart followed the arc lights. As a result, he had to lose his share of the royal property.
THE ROYAL blood flows in him as naturally as does his passion for acting. He was once Awadh’s Nawab. Meet Syed Badrul Hasan Sahab Bahadur, now your own ‘Pappu Polyester’.
Born in the royal family of Awadh, it was difficult for the young nawab to ‘stoop to’ acting as the family wanted him to do a respectable job. But his heart followed the arc lights. As a result, he had to lose his share of the royal property.
Despite losing out on wealth, the Lucknow-born young nawab rode his dream. So, the loss of what he could have gained through inheritance was made up with what he inherited later through his acts on the small screen — popularity and love.
Pappu, who was in the city to perform at the Lucknow Mahotsava, showed his wounded core when he spoke of his family role in his life. But the next moment his eyes sparkled as he talked about the strength he drew from those he never knew.
To a query on what made him take up acting as a profession, Pappu said: “Being of royal blood, I couldn’t have done ordinary jobs. I wanted to invest my share in some respectable business. But that was not to be. Some of the city’s oldest hoteliers and the owner of one of the city’s oldest laundries are my kin. They are running their businesses on the strength of the property forcibly captured from my share.”
But Pappu is happy and married. Ever since he signed off from the city, he acted in numerous tele-serials. His first role was in Sanjay Khan’s ‘Tipu Sultan’. His new incarnation is ‘Nandi’ in the popular serial ‘Om Namah Shivay’.
When asked why only roles like Nandi or that of a spoilt Nawab come his way, Pappu said being comfortable with Urdu and having a double-chinned face could be the reason.
His son Aman too is much like his father. It was probably his chubby looks that helped him bag the role of Lord Ganesha in a serial with the same name, Pappu said.
