# Mehboob Bawa

Mehboob Bawa (born 28 March 1968) is a South African actor, producer, singer, and MC. He is best known for producing and starring in the film Bhai's Cafe.

## Personal life

Mehboob Bawa was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He completed a Television Presentation Course at SABC.

## Career

In 1994, he appeared in the direct-to-video film The Visual Bible: Acts. Then in 1996, he made the feature film debut with the role "Taxi chaufför" in the film The White Lioness. Since then, he acted in the films such as; Mandela and de Klerk, Pirates of the Plain, Mama Jack and Supernova. Meanwhile, in 2000, he made television acting debut with the serial Madam & Eve. In 2007, he made the popular role "Ahmed Kathrada" in the Hollywood blockbuster award winning film Goodbye Bafana directed by Bille August.
In 2009, he appeared in the NBC American action drama television series The Philanthropist and then in the serial Final Verdict in 2011. Apart from acting, he started to produce the films especially Indian films shot in South Africa. He worked as the line producer of many blockbuster Bollywood films such as; Agent Vinod, Cocktail, Murder 3, Aashiqui 2, Khamoshiyan, Mr. X, Hamari Adhuri Kahani and Sanju. In 2016, he played the role of Dr. Khan in the serial Jab. In 2019 he produced the Bollywood style South African musical comedy-drama film Bhai's Cafe, where he played the titular role of Bhai. The premise was based on the cafe his family ran when he was growing up. Even though the film had a brief theatrical release in February 2020, the film became a Box Office when cinemas closed the following month after moved to DStv.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Visual Bible: Acts | #Pharisee 3 | Direct-to-video |
| 1996 | The White Lioness | Taxi chaufför | |
| 1999 | Pirates of the Plain | Doctor | |
| 2005 | Mama Jack | Sky Presenter | |
| 2007 | Goodbye Bafana | Ahmed Kathrada | |
| 2010 | Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa | Rajin | |
| 2012 | Agent Vinod | — | line producer, casting director, location scout |
| 2012 | Cocktail | — | line producer |
| 2013 | Murder 3 | — | line producer |
| 2013 | Aashiqui 2 | — | line producer |
| 2013 | Magic Bullet | Sonny | Short film |
| 2014 | The Perfect Wave | Doctor | |
| 2015 | Schuks! Pay Back the Money! | Officer | |
| 2015 | Khamoshiyan | — | line producer |
| 2015 | Mr. X | — | line producer |
| 2015 | Hamari Adhuri Kahani | — | line producer |
| 2015 | Singh Is Bliing | — | line producer |
| 2016 | Love Games | — | line producer |
| 2017 | Jagga Jasoos | — | line producer |
| 2017 | Half Girlfriend | — | line producer |
| 2018 | Sanju | — | line producer |
| 2019 | Bhai's Cafe | Bhai | executive producer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Mandela and de Klerk | T.V. Reporter | Television film |
| 2000 | Madam & Eve | Mr. Patela / Rajesh Pahad | TV series |
| 2005 | Spring Break Shark Attack | Professor Wellington | Television film |
| 2005 | Supernova | Dr. Rani Vahpayee | Television film |
| 2006 | The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines | Taxi Driver | Television film |
| 2007 | Anner House | Asif | Television film |
| 2008 | Generation Kill | Vendor | Miniseries; episode: "Get Some" |
| 2009 | The Philanthropist | Board Member | TV series |
| 2011 | Final Verdict | Advocate Priem | |
| 2012 | Khululeka | Shopkeeper | Series |
| 2016 | That London Guy | Mr. Patel | TV series |
| 2016 | Jab | Dr. Khan | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | The Indian Detective | Bespectacled Man | TV series |
| 2021 | Die Sentrum | Abdul | TV series |