Biography
Imran Hasnee is an Indian actor known for his work in Indian, Hollywood, and French films. Imran’s body of work includes some critically acclaimed films like Paan Singh Tomar (2010), A Mighty Heart (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and French films. Critics have heaped praise on Imran for his naturalized acting style and an innate instinct to make every character his own, yet remarkably distinct and unforgettable.
Early life and education
Born in Bhopal on 1st December 1972, to Syed Irfan Hasny, a geologist with HCL (Hindustan Copper Limited) and Shahida Hasny, Imran’s versatility came to light pretty early in life. Imran’s great grandfather and grandfather were Jagirdars, who governed over estates in Rajasthan. Due to his father’s transferable job, Imran had to shift schools very often. He has studied in St. Joseph’s Convent School (Bhopal), Hill Dale School (Khetri), All Saints Diocesan School (Jaipur), Cambridge School (Bhopal), and Yashwant Senior Secondary School (Alwar). Imran’s father passed away while he was in school and his mother took over the reigns of the family and his father’s job at HCL .
Imran completed his graduation from Lal Bahadur Shastri College (Warangal, Karnataka) and post-graduation from Rajasthan University (Rajasthan). He also completed a SUN JAVA certified programming course and a certified Oracle DBA, along with his post-graduation.
Right from his childhood, Imran had a natural flair for sports, and by the time he was in college, he was representing his university at various inter-university championships. Although he played all sports, football and badminton were his favorites. He is also an expert in horse riding and a trained martial artist with a specialization in Wushu Kung-fu.
Early Career
With a core competency in software development, design and management, Imran began his career in the IT (Information Technology) industry. He has worked with many multinational companies in India and abroad in very high positions and was a veritable authority in computer viruses and vaccines. He has also authored a few books on computer languages.
Imran nurtured his passion for theatre through his theatre group “WE”, which he had set up in school. It was on stage that Imran truly found his calling. He carried his passion everywhere, even when he was working in the Mauritius IT industry. He directed and acted in many plays and conducted theatre workshops in Mauritius and Thailand.
It was Tigmanshu Dhulia who offered Imran, his first break in Hindi films. Even though the film, Ghulami, was shelved mid-way, Imran had firmly set his foot in the Hindi film industry. Always a bold risk taker in his career, Imran was never deterred by anything, even the fact that he was the lone wolf in his family who had ventured into the entertainment industry.
Trivia
In the early days of Imran’s theatre group, a play titled Qazi Ki Shaadi, written and directed by him had become extremely famous. Imran’s portrayal of the Qazi’s character was very popular, but what sent the audience into uproar was when they realized that the Qazi’s wife, who appears only in the climax was also played by Imran. He did many plays in his theatrical days of scattered 30 years.
Career
Imran portrayed the role of Matadeen Singh Tomar (Dadda), brother of Paan Singh Tomar (played by Irrfan Khan) in Tigmanshu’s Dhulia’s biopic of the Indian athlete Paan Singh Tomar (2012) produced by UTV Motion Pictures. The film received rave reviews and well-known critic, Taran Adarsh, highly praised Imran’s performance. Among other things, he also wrote, “…..Imran Hasnee is first rate.”
Imran has also worked with director Nikkhil Advani on D-Day (2013), an action spy thriller, where he played the dreaded gangster, Saleem Pathan. They collaborated again for the web series Moghuls.
Imran played the main negative role of an Islamic terrorist, Javed, in Hasnain Hyderabadwala’s Ya Rab (2014).
Imran has worked in two feature films produced by Balaji Telefilms and directed by Milan Luthria. – Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) and The Dirty Picture (2011), in which he played the role of film director, Vijayan.
In PM Narendra Modi (2019) directed by Omung Kumar, Imran played the role of Zafar.
Apart from feature films, Imran has also worked in television. Significant among them are Kasshish on Zee TV, directed by Ravi Rai and Sapnon Se Bhare Naina (2010 – 2012), on Star Plus, where he played the hugely popular, main negative character, Sridhar Kaka. In a TV series, titled “Samvidhan”, directed by the veteran Shyam Benegal, he played the role of the Nawab of Bhopal, Nawab Hafiz Muhammad Hamidullah Khan.
Writing and Direction
Imran has written and directed many episodic shows for television and short series. Most of the stories of Fear Files (2012 – 2014), that aired on Zee TV, were researched and written by him. He also appeared in the show as the paranormal subject expert. He has also wrote and directed a few mini series for the web.
He directed a suspense, thriller movie, titled as “High Tide”.
Humanitarian Initiatives
Imran Hasnee has initiated a non-profit organization called Dreamboat, that works in the area of rescue and rehabilitation of stray animals, birds and lost children. Dreamboat organizes life-saving surgeries for the needy and works towards the rescue, remedy and rehabilitation of the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society.
Filmography:
High Tide Directed by Imran Hasnee
Kabaad – The Coin 2020 Badshah Khan Varadaraj Swami
PM Narendra Modi 2019 Zafar Omung Kumar
Deendayal Ek Yugpurush 2018 Deendayal Upadhyay Manoj Giri
Main Khudiram Bose Hun 2016 Amritlal Bhanuprakash Jha
Welcome 2 Karachi 2015 ISI Officer Ashish R Mohan
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan 2015 Nishkameshwar Prasad Mishra Milan Ajmera
Ya Rab 2014 Javed Hasnain Hyderabadwala
D-Day 2013 Saleem Pathan Nikhil Advani
The Dirty Picture 2011 Vijayan Milan Luthria
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2010 Milan Luthria
Paan Singh Tomar 2010 Matadeen Singh Tomar (Dadda) Tigmanshu Dhulia
Slumdog Millionaire 2008 Security Danny Boyle
A Mighty Heart 2007 Journalist Michael Winterbottom