This Nepo Kid Had A Disastrous Debut, Instantly Left Movies, Made A Stunning Comeback Years Later And Starred In A ₹2000 Crore Blockbuster

Movie business is often considered the domain of film families. While many point fingers at Bollywood for being the hub of nepotism where a child with a film background gets an easy break in the industry, South film industries are ruled by families. However, a legacy name does not guarantee a footing in the movies and a place in the heart of the audiences. In the early 2000s, Fahadh Faasil learnt this lesson as he stepped into the spotlight.

Fahadh's father Fazil is an accomplished director in the Malayalam film industry known for launching now-icon Mohanlal and many more famous actors. Fahadh's path was laid out for him. His father launched him in Kaiyethum Doorath (2002). However, it tanked at the box office. Fahadh at once decided to quit movies and relocated to the US. "I wished to never return to the world of cinema," he later said, revealing his "lack of preparation for acting" as the cause for his and his debut movie's failure.

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Fahadh was in the US for over 6 years, where he pursued his studies. In 2009, he starred in a segment of the anthology film Kerala Cafe. Many noticed that he had improved a lot since the last time he was on the screen. In the coming years, he continued to play small roles in movies like Pramani, Cocktail, Tournament and others. In 2011, Chaappa Kurishu came as a breakthrough for the Malayalam actor. His hit roles in the early part of his career include 22 Female Kottayam, North 24 Kaatham, Oru Indian Pranayakadha and Take Off. Bangalore Days (2014) became a huge hit. Kumbalangi Nights further cemented his place in the Malayalam industry as a scene-stealer.

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Then came back-to-back hits like Super Deluxe, Trance and C U Soon. During the pandemic, pan-India audiences came to know about this gem of Indian cinema through his streaming movies Irul, Joji and Malik. He then starred in the blockbuster Pushpa (2021) and followed it up with Vikram (2022). Now, Fahadh is a known pan-India star whose presence in the cast is enough to stoke excitement and assure box office returns.  

Last year, Fahadh's Pushpa 2 became the biggest grosser of his career, earning over ₹1742 crore at the box office. Collectively, the two Pushpa movies have minted over ₹2000 crore and a third installment is also in the works. About his comeback to acting after delivering a flop with his debut, Fahadh shared he wanted to prove that his father Fazil "wasn't wrong" about launching him. "Since I failed in cinema and my father has introduced so many talents to the industry, I just wanted to prove that he wasn’t wrong about me," Fahadh candidly confessed.