Profile ID: 2048
Artists Bio
Vajdaan Shah
Syed Vajdaan Ali Shah is a theatre practitioner based in Karachi. He is a Theatre Arts graduate of National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), Karachi – Pakistan, a trained contemporary dancer from Leggere Strutture’s Art Factory International, Bologna – Italy, and Masters of Business Administration from University of Sindh, Jamshoro – Pakistan. Vajdaan has acted in films & theatre, directed & produced theatre productions, presented performances at national and international visual art galleries and written plays. He has directed plays including but not limited to Shakespearean classics Antony & Cleopatra, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, created immersive theatre productions such as the much acclaimed Immortally Yours & Madoom. Vajdaan’s acting and experimental dance repertoire includes international collaborations such as Hotel Propaganda, Among Fog, Commedia Dell’arte, CROWDS, What The Body Does Not Remember and acted in plays such as Investigation Cell, Vijay Tendulkar’s Court Marshal, Shakespeare’s King Lear and Hamlet. In 2021, Vajdaan conceived, produced and directed an experimental music video inspired from contemporary Sufi reflections, titled ‘Journey’ and choreographed Echoing Nostalgia (2020) based on his father’s, Imdad Hussaini’s Sindhi & Urdu poetry on his 80th birthday as a gift. His craft in commercial film includes Pakistan’s first sync sound feature length thriller, Carma (2022), in which he starred as Abdul. Vajdaan also acted in Mohsin Ali’s kidnap comedy film titled Chuppan Chuppai (2017), Sarmad Khoosat’s Manto (2015), and Jami’s O21 (2014). His film I, Prophet was showcased at the Short Film Corner at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival (2021). He is seen in Hamza Bangash’s horror film In Flames (Winner, Best Feature Film, Red Sea Film Festival) and Mehreen Jabbar’s murder mystery titled ‘Jurm’ which has been produced for Geo Television.
He is a visiting faculty member at NAPA as an Acting Coach and Creative Movement Instructor.
Age
41
City/Town
Karachi
Languages Spoken
English, Urdu, Sindhi
Gender
Male
Previous Acting Experience
Films:
Indus Echoes
Directed by Rahul Aijaz Ghost School
Directed by Seemab Gul In Flames
Directed by Humza Bangash Carma
Directed by Kashman Admani CROWDS
Directed by Sarah Friedland Chupan Chupai
Directed by Mohsin Ali Manto The Film
Directed by Sarmad Khoosat Operation 021
Directed by Jami Mehmood Tv:
Jurm
Directed by Mehreen Jabbar Shukk
Directed by Yasir Nawaz Theatre:
Behrupia
Adaptation of Moleire’s Tartuffe directed Anwer Jafri Shahzado Behram
Adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Ek Hazaar Aur Ek Thi Raatein
Directed by Sheema Kirmani & Anwar Jafri Echoing Nostalgia
Tribute to Imdad Hussaini 80th Birthday Investigation Cell
Directed by Kulsoom Aftab King Lear
Directed by Zia Mohyeuddin Excerpts from What the body does not remember Directed by Eduardo Torroja Hotel Propaganda
Directed by Brigel Gjoka Commedia dell’Arte
Directed by Marco Luly Mowgli’s Jungle
Directed by Michal Philpusis East is East
Directed by Nida Butt Among Fog
Directed by Brigel Gjoka Where Is The Apple, Joshindar?
Directed by Amin Gulgee
Special Skills
Dance, movement
Available for
Stage, TV, Film, Modeling, Voiceover, Commercial
Education/Training
Theater Arts (Acting) – National Academy of Performing Arts
(Jan 2012 – Dec 2014, Karachi, Pakistan)
Professional Dance Program – Art Factory International: Leggere Strutture
(Sept 2017 – May 2018, Bologna, Italy)
BBA & MBA (Marketing & Finance) – University of Sindh
(Jan 2005 – Jun 2009, Jamshoro, Pakistan)