Multifaceted seems to be the go-to term in Mollywood these days. Most of the young actors do not want to confine themselves to only showcasing their acting chops — they want to try their hand at various other avenues. Singing seems to be on top of the list with most of the A-listers having crooned at least one song — of course naysayers can say the advances in technology can make anyone a singer. In a volte face here is a trained singer who has tried his hand at acting and is still taking his baby steps in tinsel town. The name Abid Anwar may not instantly ring a bell but his face is an instantly recognisable one for he has modeled for some leading brands and has been featured in print ads. Abid, who is a singer first and foremost, has been taking classical lessons from age seven.
He grew up in an atmosphere where soulful melodies of yore sung by Rafi, Kishore Kumar, etc. helped instill in him a deep love for this genre. When he grew up, he started singing for shows and performed live. He also started a band called Yaadon Ki Bharath and has crooned for a Malayalam film. The singer then decided to try his hand at acting and hence became a part of the Mollywood films Innanu Aa Kalyanam and Flat No 4 B. He followed that up with the Tamil film Kerala Naatiluum Penngallum directed by S. Kumaran and the big news is that he is now acting in the same director’s second Tamil film — LIC or Life is Colourful.
Playing the role of a character named Vijay, Abid explains more. “I am the second lead and explaining the role is a very complicated affair because he swings between various shades. It was this complexity in the character that attracted me in the first place; there are so many hidden facets to the character!”
The first schedule of the film is over and he is prepping for the second schedule. S. Kumaran had promised Abid a role in his next directorial venture and he kept his word by giving him the role of Vijay. Playing the lead in Flat No 4 B got Abid noticed and he received some offers too but it was the Tamil film that he ultimately signed on for.
A Mollywood film is also in the pipeline and Abid is happy shuttling between his singing and acting personas. He reveals, “I still go for my music lessons and am busy with my stage and band shows. I am currently doing a cover song and plan to release that soon.” Short films are also keeping him busy and in between all this he attends whatever film auditions he can. He has also completed stints as a host and has acted in a serial. Talk about an overfull plate.
