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With actor parents Riyaz Khan and Uma Riyaz Khan, the young Shariq Hassan has also found his way into films, with a debut in Kalsan Movies’ Pencil.

The youngster reveals that it’s not just his parents who are actors. “My maternal grandmother Kamala Kamesh is a character actor, who has acted in around 400 films in various languages.” But surprisingly enough, being an actor was the last thing on Shariq’s mind. “I wanted to be either a football player or a cinematographer, since I play football regularly and love photography,” he says. The youngster is currently pursuing a BSc in animation. Shariq has modelled for Univercell and Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, earlier. It was director Mani Nagraj, who is a friend of his father, who made the offer after seeing his photos. “The offer came on my dad’s birthday. He had seen my photos on Facebook. We met up the next day at a coffee shop. I was quite nervous about the idea of acting on big screen. But when I heard that GV Prakash is debuting as hero in the same film, I was excited since it would be a new experience for both of us. It seemed like the perfect project, with a character I could easily get into as well,” he says with a smile. Shariq plays a schoolboy with various shades in the movie. So what advice did his parents give him? “Dad told me ‘don’t be nervous. Just be casual and be yourself. Above all, be dedicated to your profession. It’s a new life for you now,’ “ he cites.