We never expected Chellam sir to go viral, says The Family Man actor Shahab Ali

In today’s social media-dominated world, the number of memes based on a new film or show is a direct measure of its popularity. Shahab Ali, who plays the villain Sajid in The Family Man (Season 2), is happy to see these memes made on the show and its characters.

“Whenever I go on the internet, I get to see a new meme," Shahab Ali said in a conversation with Cinestaan.com. "There are so many of them on Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee), Atharv (Vedant Sinha), Raji (Samantha Akkineni), Sajid and JK (Sharib Hashmi).”

However, the team of The Family Man never expected memes on the character of retired intelligence officer Chellam sir, played by Uday Mahesh.

“Chellam sir is ruling the meme world," Shahab said, laughing. "We were not expecting the character to go so viral, that he would be getting so many admirers. People are saying he is bigger than Google!”

Chellam Sir's popularity has come as a surprise, says The Family Man actor Uday Mahesh

Shahab’s negative act in the show is also making heads turn. Asked how he prepared for the role, he said, “I did some research on people who have lived such a life and their way of walking, talking and behaving. I also tried to understand their point of view.

"Sajid is a violent person who is eager to take revenge. I tried to bring that out through my body language. I also tried to bring this out on his face so that it induces fear.”