The Family Man actor recalls how the superstar, who won the National Award for the film Mrigayaa (1976), told his father that he didn’t even have money to eat, so his father paid for the lunch.
By Mayur Lookhar
Popular actor Sharib Hashmi was recently seen in the film Sangee (2025). Best known for playing Talpade in The Family Man series, not many know that Hashmi is the son of a film journalist. The late Z.A. Johar was a prominent journalist of his time. Hashmi has often spoken about how his dream of becoming an actor was influenced by the exposure he had to films and film stars from a young age.
Recently, he shared a nostalgic picture of his father taking him to meet superstar Shatrughan Sinha at the muhurat of a film called Aandhiyaan. Sinha was among the many stars who Hashmi saw from close quarters. Buzz has it that veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty was once close to Z.A Johar and his family, with the late journalist even helping Chakraborty in his struggling days.
Beyond Bollywood recenty spoke to Hashmi before the release of his film Sangee. During this chat, we asked him about his father’s equation with Chakraborty. The affable Hashmi shared an interesting anecdote.
“Personally, don’t have much memories with Mithun ji, but my dad does. Father had gone to interview Mithun da after he had won the National Award for (Mrinal Sen’s) Mrigayaa (1976). He told father that he doesn’t have money to eat, and you’re talking interview. Dad fed him at a nearby restaurant, and only then he had the energy to give an interview. Mithun da promised my dad that if you ever make a film, then he would work for free. Sadly, that dream of my father never materialized,” said Hashmi.
There wasn’t much to share about Mithun Chakraborty, but Hashmi happily recalled times when stars like Raj Babbar, Govinda, and Divya Bharti used to visit his home, which made him realise how truly respected his father was. One such actor is Anupam Kher, with whom he had the pleasure of working in Shiv Shastri Balboa (2022).
“The moment I told Anupam sir about my father; he was thrilled to learn about it. When someone visited the sets, he often introduced me as the son of Z.A. Johar. He recalled how he visited my place 25-26 years ago, and even remembered the (residential) address. He was fond of my dad, and dad was fond of him. When I accompanied my father to some parties, these actors showed great respect to my father. I’m humbled by that experience and have always been proud to be Z.A. Johar’s son,” said Hashmi.
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