Heeramandi hunkmeister, Taha Shah Badussha, is far from new to Bollywood. In fact, the conspicuously good looking actor arguably has the most fascinating story in the film industry, a story that has spanned over a decade.
Does anyone remember The Mutton Song? Yes, The Mutton Song. Contrary to what you might think, The Mutton Song isn’t a tribute to the Eid where they slaughter sheep or a cutesy kids song. It’s actually a sexual number, or what Bollywood would call “an item song”, delivered by a very inebriated Taha Shah (in drag!) in his debut film, 2011’s teen flick, Luv Ka The End. Funnily enough, it was the budding actor’s then crowning achievement. The insanely addicting song was a hit, its accompanying film, was not.
While his romantic interest in the film, played by a then unknown Shraddha Kapoor, saw her career reach stratospheric heights after the release of her subsequent film, Aashiqui 2, Shah Badussha’s career languished for over a decade.
His sophomore effort, Gippi, was dead on arrival. It failed to even recuperate its budget. And everything else he was in, including Dharma’s worst performing film in years, the eight year old, Baar Baar Dekho, failed to resuscitate Bollywood’s interest in him.
Things started to finally look up for Shah Badushha in 2022 when he was cast in the hit TV show, Taj: Divided by Blood, a sprawling period drama, starring Bollywood bigwigs Dharmendra and Naseeruddin Shah.
And thirteen years after his arrival in the scene, Shah Badussha’s journey has come full circle with Netflix’s Heeramandi, India’s biggest streaming show ever. With 33 million viewership hours globally in its debut week alone, the show broke the record for the most-viewed Indian series. Heeramandi not only struck a chord with Indian audiences but non-desi audiences as well so much so that the actor is reportedly being recognized by French women strolling the beaches of Cannes.
Not bad for a kid from Sharjah.
