# Nawab Shah (actor)
**Nawab Shah** (नवाब शाह) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada-language films and television series, known for playing character and villain roles such as Jabbar in *[Don 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-2)* (2011) and Azeem Pathan in the series *[Bambai Meri Jaan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bambai-meri-jaan)* (2023).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/) He was born in 1972 in Delhi, India, and stands 6′ 2″ (1.88 m) tall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972, Delhi, India; height 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/) |
| Film debut | *Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya* (2000), with Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy in the leads[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah.html) |
| Breakthrough | *Lakshya* (2004), followed by the villain Jabbar in *Don 2* (2011)[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah.html) • [3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/nawab-shah-plays-villain-in-don-2/story-EXeT9O49L4Km17UdL0E3wJ.html) |
| Marriage | Married actress Pooja Batra on July 4, 2019, in an Arya Samaj ceremony in Delhi[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exclusive-pooja-batra-i-realised-nawab-is-the-man-i-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with/articleshow/70214979.cms) |
| Recent work | Salim Kaka in *Sacred Games* (2018), Azeem Pathan in *Bambai Meri Jaan* (2023), Virat Bakshi in *Sikandar* (2025)[5](https://www.imdb.com/hi/name/nm1167594/) |
## Television career
Shah began on television, playing character roles in serials before entering films. A profile in the entertainment database NETTV4U adds that he started with small, minor roles and was first noticed in the serial *Saarrthi* on Star Plus in 2004, produced by Neela Telefilms.[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/hindi/tv-actor/nawab-shah)
## Film career
**Early films.** Shah's Hindi film debut came in 2000 with *Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya*, directed by Rajeev Kumar, in which [Manisha Koirala](https://www.edgepedia.org/manisha-koirala) and [Arvind Swamy](https://www.edgepedia.org/arvind-swamy) played the leads; his performance went largely unnoticed, and his next film *Be-Lagaam* failed at the box office.[2](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah.html) He also played [Preity Zinta](https://www.edgepedia.org/preity-zinta)'s brother in *Jaan-e-Mann* (2006).[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/nawab-shah-plays-villain-in-don-2/story-EXeT9O49L4Km17UdL0E3wJ.html)
**Don 2 and after.** In 2011 Shah played Jabbar, one of the villains opposite [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan) in *Don 2*, directed by [Farhan Akhtar](https://www.edgepedia.org/farhan-akhtar), who had known Shah since *Lakshya*; Shah described the part as one of the most important characters in the film and a turning point after years of struggle.[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/nawab-shah-plays-villain-in-don-2/story-EXeT9O49L4Km17UdL0E3wJ.html) The film marked his comeback after a serious car accident at [Jim Corbett National Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-corbett-national-park), in Uttarakhand (then Uttaranchal), earlier that year; the accident had also forced him to withdraw from Salman Khan's *Bodyguard*, for which he had already been given a script and an important part.[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/nawab-shah-plays-villain-in-don-2/story-EXeT9O49L4Km17UdL0E3wJ.html)
**Later work across industries.** Shah's filmography since then spans several industries: *Dilwale* (2015), *Dictator* (2016, Telugu), *Tiger Zinda Hai* (2017), *Dabangg 3* and *Panipat* (2019), *Darbar* (2020, Tamil), *Khuda Haafiz* (2020), *Kotigobba 3* (2021, Kannada), *[Sulthan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sulthan-2021-film)* (2021, Tamil), *Kabzaa* (2023, Kannada), *Martin* (2024, Kannada), and *[Ruslaan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruslaan)* (2024).[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah/upcoming-movies.html) • [8](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2181572/filmography) On streaming television he played Salim Kaka in three episodes of *Sacred Games* (2018) and Azeem Pathan in ten episodes of *Bambai Meri Jaan* (2023), and he appeared as Virat Bakshi in [Salman Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/salman-khan)'s *Sikandar* (2025).[5](https://www.imdb.com/hi/name/nm1167594/) His upcoming Telugu film *Ustaad Bhagat Singh*, directed by Harish Shankar, is listed for release on March 19, 2026.[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah/upcoming-movies.html)
## Theatre
The 2011 accident led Shah to theater. Confined to bed for a year after wrapping up *Don 2*, he read widely and memorized all 28 pages of Rajkamal Chaudhary's poem *Mukti Prasang*, written on the poet's death bed; he said the poem's theme of liberation from politics, relationships, society, and even one's own body drew him to the stage as the only medium for it.[9](https://www.deccanherald.com/content/551049/i-do-theatre-creative-satisfaction.html)
## Personal life
Shah married the actress and former model [Pooja Batra](https://www.edgepedia.org/pooja-batra) on July 4, 2019, in an [Arya Samaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/arya-samaj) ceremony in Delhi attended by family and close friends; the couple had been reintroduced by a common friend in February of that year and exchanged vows within five months of knowing each other.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exclusive-pooja-batra-i-realised-nawab-is-the-man-i-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with/articleshow/70214979.cms) Batra, a 1990s model turned actress known for films such as *[Virasat](https://www.edgepedia.org/virasat-1997-film)*, *Bhai*, and *Haseena Maan Jaayegi*, had earlier been married to orthopedic surgeon Dr Sonu S. Ahluwalia, from whom she separated in 2011.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exclusive-pooja-batra-i-realised-nawab-is-the-man-i-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with/articleshow/70214979.cms) • [10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/pooja-batra-ties-the-knot-with-nawab-shah-5826336/lite/) IMDb lists Babita Shah as his sibling and notes a long earlier relationship with the television actress Neha Devi Singh.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/)
Some secondary sources give different personal details: NETTV4U lists his date of birth as 1973, and his birthplace as Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, conflicting with IMDb's October 12, 1972, Delhi record.[6](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/hindi/tv-actor/nawab-shah) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/)
## References
1. [Nawab Shah – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1167594/bio/)
2. [नवाब शाह (Nawab) biography, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah.html)
3. [Nawab Shah plays villain in Don 2, Hindustan Times (December 20, 2011)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/nawab-shah-plays-villain-in-don-2/story-EXeT9O49L4Km17UdL0E3wJ.html)
4. [EXCLUSIVE: Pooja Batra: I realised Nawab is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, Times of India (July 15, 2019)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/exclusive-pooja-batra-i-realised-nawab-is-the-man-i-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with/articleshow/70214979.cms)
5. [Nawab Shah, IMDb (Hindi)](https://www.imdb.com/hi/name/nm1167594/)
6. [Hindi TV Actor Nawab Shah Biography, NETTV4U](https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/hindi/tv-actor/nawab-shah)
7. [Nawab Shah Upcoming Movies, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/nawab-shah/upcoming-movies.html)
8. [Filmography: Nawab Shah – Actor, EL Cinema](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2181572/filmography)
9. ['I do theatre for creative satisfaction', Deccan Herald (June 7, 2016)](https://www.deccanherald.com/content/551049/i-do-theatre-creative-satisfaction.html)
10. [Pooja Batra and Nawab Shah tie the knot, The Indian Express (July 13, 2019)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/pooja-batra-ties-the-knot-with-nawab-shah-5826336/lite/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1990s–2000s › Surnames R to Z*
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