Abbas, the teenage heartthrob, who has made it big in South India, lies a very genuine, hard working and disciplined individual. He was born in Calcutta, completed his graduation from Mumbai, stays in Chennai at present due to his film commitments, but originally hails from Bangalore.

His interest in the film world was understandable as his grandfather Shri Farukh Mirza was an actor in Bengali films in the late forties and fifties. Starting off with modeling as a hobby, Abbas soon broke into the film world with the super hit film Kadal Desam (Tamil). Since then, Abbas has acted in more than a dozen Tamil, Telegu and Kannada films. Some of his releases have been V. I. P. (Tamil), Poochudavaa (Tamil), Aasaithambi (Tamil), Inellam Sugume (Tamil), Priya O Priya (Telegu), Jolly (Telegu), Raja Hansa (Telegu) and Shanti Shanti Shanti (Kannada), firmly establishing Abbas as one of the most popular heroes down South, especially among the younger generation.

Abbas was the first choice for the hero's role in the musical YEH HAI PREM. He has the right look, freshness and youth appeal for the role, which he played to perfection. His sincerity and attitude towards work was very positive from day one. An incident which occurred on the very first day of the shoot, merits mention; Abbas had arrived in Mumbai very late the previous night and the entire team was scheduled to leave for an outdoor location at 5:45 a.m. To everyone's surprise, Abbas was ready for the shoot, with a bright smile on his face, at exactly 5:30 a. m., before many of the other unit members had arrived. After this, the entire unit knew that punctuality and discipline were issues Abbas would never compromise on.

There was never a dull moment with Abbas on the sets. His pranks led to a very healthy atmosphere on the sets and coupled with his total involvement with the project, brought out the best from every member of the unit. The shooting of YEH HAI PREM has left lasting memories, cherished by the entire team.

Abbas admits to being experimental by nature and does not have any priorities or pre-conceptualised goals. He believes in enjoying each day as it unfurls and is happy that his dreams and passion have been kept alive through cinema. In his own words, "I'm sure that the unflinching support of my family and my ardent faith in God will take me places one day..."

After having worked in as much as 34 films, made in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, the southern star Abbas is all set to make a debut in Bollywood with his first Hindi film Ansh . Earlier to this, his only appearance on the Hindi screen was Duniya Dilwalon Ki , which was a dubbed version of his debut making film Kadhal Desam . The actor was shooting in Silvassa and we accosted him for a conversation.