Salim Baig is an Indian actor who has appeared in Telugu and Tamil language films. He is best known for his collaborations with director
Gautham Vasudev Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films that either simultaneously shot with or rema ...
, having notably appeared as the antagonist in the police dramas ''
Gharshana'' (2004) and ''
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu'' (2006). The success of the films prompted several filmmakers to cast him in similar negative roles in the late 2000s.
Career
Salim Baig was born and brought up in Mumbai and began his career in the entertainment industry as a model and then as a theatre artiste. Soon after competing in the Mr. Junior Mumbai competition, he received a call from director
Teja who subsequently cast him in the Telugu action film, ''
Jai'' (2004). The film's cinematographer
Ravi Varman introduced him to director
Gautham Vasudev Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films that either simultaneously shot with or rema ...
, who gave Salim his acting breakthrough, by casting him as a notorious gangster seeking revenge in the police drama ''
Gharshana'' (2004). The success of the film prompted him to use his character name of "Panda" as a suffix to his stage name. About his performance, a critic from Indiaglitz.com wrote "newcomer Saleem Baig, despite a poor voice (dubbed), as the cold-blooded, revenge-seeking Panda is first rate" and that "he never misses a trick in the book and triumphs in this significant role for him". The opportunity allowed him to work on more big budget Telugu films such as
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...
's ''
Andarivaadu'' (2005), ''
Jagapati
''Jagapati '' is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language film produced by M. Ramalinga Raju, V. Satyanarayana Raju on Roja Enterprises banner and directed by Jonnalagadda Srinivasa Rao. Starring Jagapati Babu, Rakshita and music composed by M. M. Keerav ...
'' (2005) and ''
Andhrudu'' (2005) during the following year. Menon then cast him again in his first Tamil film, the police drama ''
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu'' (2006) which had
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...
in the lead role, Alongside
Daniel Balaji
T. C. Balaji, better known by his stage name Daniel Balaji, is an Indian actor and writer, who predominantly appears in Tamil and Malayalam films.
Early life and career
Balaji studied a film direction course in Taramani film institute, Chenna ...
, Salim portrayed a homosexual medical student who turns into a psycho killer, and the film opened to critical and commercial acclaim.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baig, Salim
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)