Ahmad Ibn Umar is an Indian child actor and model who played the role of young “Laal Singh” in the 2022 Hindi film “Laal Singh Chaddha” starring Aamir Khan.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ahmad Ibn Umar aka Ahmad Rigoo [1]Instagram- Ahamd Rigoo was born in 2012 (age 10 years; as of 2022) in Zaldagar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India. As of 2022, he is studying in class 4 at Tyndale Biscoe School, Srinagar. [2]Aaj Tak
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Moss Green
Family
Ahmad belongs to a Muslim family. [3]The Kashmir Monitor
Parents & Siblings
His father, Umer Maqbool, is a businessman. His mother is a homemaker.
Other Relatives
Ahmad’s maternal uncle Iibne Sahib works at a film production company in Kashmir, India.
Ahmad Ibn Umar’s maternal uncle
Career
In 2019, at the age of 6, he made his acting debut with the Hindi film ‘Notebook’ in which he played the role of ‘young Captain Kabir Kaul.’
Ahmad Ibn Umar in the Hindi film Notebook (2019)
He then worked as a child model in various fashion shows. He has also appeared in TV commercials for various brands like Turtle, a clothing brand.
He was featured in the Hindi music video ‘Bas Ek Tera Main Hoke’ in 2021.
Ahmad Ibn Umar in the Hindi music video ‘Bas Ek Tera Main Hoke’ in 2021.
He gained immense popularity with his role as young Laal Singh in the Hindi film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ (2022). During an interview, while talking about getting the role, Ahmad said that when he got to know that Aamir Khan was looking for a child actor for the film, he auditioned for it and got selected. He further shared that before starting the shooting of the film, he did many training sessions and acting workshops to play the role of a handicapped Sikh boy. He said,
Before shooting, I was trained for 3-4 months in Punjabi and other skills as I am playing the role of a physically challenged boy. Later, we did shooting for 6-7 months in Delhi, Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Ladakh, Srinagar, etc. During the shooting, I usually woke around 3 in the morning and started preparations for my character and return late from the set. There is no alternative to hard work and dedication. I hope people will appreciate my acting in the movie.”
Ahmad Ibn Umar with Aamir Khan
In 2022, in an interview, he shared that he completed shooting for the South Indian film ‘Kushi’ starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Deverakonda. He said,
I have now completed shooting for Kushi in Hyderabad and I am glad that I have already found prominent roles in two more big movies after Notebook. I have also acted in the short film Yumerzal and several commercials. Now, I aim to continue acting and be counted among the top actors in the future.”
Ahmad played the role of young Ranvijay in the film ‘Animal’ (2023).
Ahmad Ibn Umar in a still from the film ‘Animal’ (2023)
#Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha
In 2022, as soon as the trailer of the film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ was launched, the netizens on social media started the #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha trend. The netizens said that the film was an exact copy of the Hollywood film ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994) starring Tom Hanks. However, through a tweet, the official Twitter handle of Forrest Gump clarified that the film was the official remake of ‘Forrest Gump.’
A tweet by Forrest Gump’s official account
The boycott was also related to Aamir Khan’s meeting with Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan in 2020. People also criticised Aamir Khan for hurting people’s religious sentiments in the Hindi film ‘PK’ (2014). Later, one of the netizens tweeted,
Aamir said in the film it’s better to feed milk to the poor than to offer it in temples, so, we would prefer to donate Rs 200 than to watch Laal Singh Chaddha in theatres.”
Aamir Khan during his visit to Turkey
A tweet to boycott Laal Singh Chaddha
Apart from Aamir Khan, the lead actress in the film Kareena Kapoor was also criticised for one of her statements in 2020, in which she said,
Why are people blaming us for nepotism? Do we force ppl to watch our films? Don’t watch our films if we are nepo kids? They can’t live without watching our films, so it’s not our mistake!”
So Guys EVEN Kareena Kapoor is saying Dont watch their Films- Toh MAT JAO Dekhne #BoycottBollywoodFilms #BoycottBollywood #SushantSinghRajput pic.twitter.com/lZE1wosKxu
— Rosy (@rose_k01) August 9, 2020
Facts/Trivia
- When he was 4 years old, he started giving auditions for various acting projects. Initially, he failed to clear the auditions, but he kept trying.
- During an interview, Ahmad’s father shared how Ahmad developed an interest in acting. He said,
Nobody in our family knows anything about acting but Ahmad’s ‘mamu’ named Iibne Sahib was associated with the production houses in Kashmir. And since Ahmad had the looks and was interested in acting, he (sahib) took him for auditions and the rest is history. Ahmad prays and recites the Quran too and besides acting, he wants to be a footballer. I will support him in all his endeavors.”
- According to some media sources, Shinda Grewal, who is the son of the Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal was the first choice to play the role of young Laal in the 2022 Hindi film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha.’ However, Shinda rejected the offer when he was asked to cut his hair for the film as Shinda is a Sikh and cutting hair in Sikhism is considered pious. [4]Hindustan Times
References
| ↑1 | Instagram- Ahamd Rigoo |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Aaj Tak |
| ↑3 | The Kashmir Monitor |
| ↑4 | Hindustan Times |
