Tanay Chheda

About

Actor, writer, model, and entrepreneur most famous for his child performances in films such as Taare Zameen Par and Slumdog Millionaire. He also appeared as Young Rizwan Khan in the 2010 film My Name is Khan and as Musa in the 2011 comedy Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan. He wrote the 2019 short film Irresponsible, in which he played the role of Rohit Raichand.

Before Fame

He earned a bachelor's degree in acting and film from the University of Southern California in 2017. He made his on-screen debut in the 2006 movie Don: The Chase Begins Again, playing the role of Deepu.

Trivia

For his role in Slumdog Millionare, he earned the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He also received a nomination for Best Ensemble from the 2008 Black Reel Awards.

Family Life

He grew up in a Gurajati Jain family that observed paryushan, a stringent 8-day fast. In a self-delivered profile for the Times of India, he expressed his mother's frustration with his lack of childlike qualities throughout his youth, specifying that she affectionately joked that he was more of an adult companion than a son.

Associated With

He played the role of Teenage Jamal in the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, along with Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and Saurabh Shukla.