Sajid Nadiadwala is one of the most talked-about names in the film industry. He is known as a producer, director, and writer. Starting his career as a spot boy at the age of 21, Sajid is now counted among the top producers in Bollywood. In his 37-year career, he has made over 40 films, many of which have been blockbusters. Sajid's grandfather, father, and uncle were all film producers. Despite coming from a film Sajid initially wanted to become an IAS officer. He was good in studies and wanted to serve the nation. But, destiny had other plans for him. Today as Sajid celebrates his 59th birthday, let's take a look at some of the lesser known facts about him. Sajid wanted to become an IAS, not a producer Born on 18th February, 1996, Sajid hails from a film family. His father, Suleman Nadiadwala, was a producer, and his grandfather, Abdul Karim Nadiadwala, a renowned filmmaker who produced over 100 films, including Taj Mahal, Amar Shakti, and Bhai Ho To Aisa. He also owned a theater in Malad. Even today, there is a Suleman Nadiadwala Chowk in Versova, Mumbai, named after Sajid's father. Similarly, there is a Fatima A.K. Nadiadwala High School in Andheri West named after his grandmother Fatima. Worked as a spot boy in Dharmendra's film Sajid was 21 years old when his uncle Abdul Ghaffar Nadiadwala (AG) was producing the film 'Ghulami'. It was a film with a large star cast, directed by JP Dutta. This was the film where Sajid Nadiadwala worked as a assistant director. In an interview, Sajid mentions that there was such a long list of assistants on the set that his number was 9 or 10. The job of the 10th assistant was to bring ice to the set, bring tea leaves, check if Dharam Ji's room was clean or not, and if there was no driver on the set, to take on the responsibility of the driver. Opened first production house at the age of 25 Sajid worked in his uncle's production house for three years before launching 'Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment' at 25. A fan of Dharmendra, he cast him in his debut film, Zulm Ki Hukumat, alongside Govinda, Moushumi Chatterjee, and others, with Amitabh Bachchan as the narrator. New technology in films and Hollywood star experiment Sajid has been quite experimental in his work. Whether it's about bringing a new pair on screen or giving opportunities to new directors, he has taken these risks well. An achievement in Sajid's account is that he is the first producer who cast Hollywood stars for his film Kambakkht Ishq. In this film, alongside Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor, Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh, and actress Denise Richards were seen. When there was a fight with Salman over dates Salman Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala share more than just an actor-producer bond; they are close friends. However, before filming Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, they argued over Salman's dates, as he was busy with four other films. Frustrated, Salman threw his diary at Sajid’s face. Sajid kept the diary, adjusted the schedule, and three days later, Salman sent someone to retrieve it. Eventually, they completed the shoot. Shoot with the Indian Team before the 2003 World Cup ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ film's climax scene featured several Indian cricketers acting. Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Javagal Srinath were part of the film's climax shoot, which Sajid considers his big achievement. In an interview, he said that usually retired cricketers or those not playing for the country were seen in films, but it was the first time that current players of the Indian cricket team were part of a film. This happened just three days before the start of the ICC World Cup 2003.Original Article by Dainik Bhaskar
