Last Updated:November 22, 2025, 07:11 IST

Sharib Hashmi recalls how Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘lovely child’ Ava Nayla reacted when she saw him for the first time. He adds she looked at him with starry eyes and clicked many photos.

The Family Man 3 released today and is streaming on Prime Video.

Sharib Hashmi began his acting career with Filmistaan, a film that didn’t create ripples at the box office but gained a cult following over the years. Years later, he shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in Yash Chopra’s swan song, Jab Tak Hai Jaan. But it was Raj & DK’s The Family Man that proved to be a game-changer for him. It won him immense acclaim and his chemistry with Manoj Bajpayee struck a chord with audiences. Interestingly, it also changed the industry’s demeanour towards him.

Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, Sharib says, “The biggest change that I witnessed in my career post The Family Man is the power to choose. Prior to that, I did anything and everything that I was getting. After Filmistaan, I wanted to do something exceptional. I began working on some good films but they got shelved. Maybe it was written in my destiny. Some projects couldn’t even go on floors. Kuch bandh ke bandh hi hai aur atak gayi hai. Kuch release nahi ho pa rahi hai.”

It was then that he started sensing a difference in how the industry started treating him. “Time guzarta gaya. Three years passed by and I didn’t have a release. People started forgetting me. I remember I would go to events. I would pass by other people, par koi puchta bhi nahi tha. People in the film industry anyway have a faint memory,” he recalls. But knowing how much Bollywood is prone to typecasting actors, how come he wasn’t seen in more agent roles after playing JK in The Family Man?

“After the series came my way, I finally knew what I should do and what I should say no to. I don’t even mind getting typecast and playing more roles of men in the forces. But the issue is, I didn’t get a role as strong and powerful as JK in the series. Having said that, it translated to a varied range of characters coming my way. Tarla and Vikram Vedha were memorable for me. In Afwaah, Sudhir (Mishra) sir gave me a negative role,” Sharib shares.

Up next for him is Haiwaan, a thriller starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Spilling the beans on his character in it, Sharib tells us, “Now, I’m playing yet another negative character in Priyadarshan sir’s Haiwaan. I essay a cop with grey shades and it’s poles apart from JK. I’m having a great time shooting for it. I consider myself really lucky to have gotten The Family Man and I’m trying to make the most of the creative power that the show has given me.”

And what’s one of the fondest compliments he received for The Family Man? “Manoj sir’s daughter was in awe when she saw me. The way she reacted when the door opened and I came in was very sweet. She was very quiet but looking at me with starry eyes. She clicked photos with me. I was so happy. Ava is a lovely child. Manoj sir is also very sweet and he keeps hyping me up. Unki beti bhi unhi ke nakshe-kadam pe chal rahi hai,” Sharib smiles.

Titas Chowdhury

Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing breakin…Read More

Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringing breakin… Read More