Skip to playerSkip to main content
Naseeruddin Shah is one of the finest & most versatile actors Indian cinema has been blessed with. From the early days of his career, he always dreamed of playing different kinds of characters - a passion that visibly continues even today. In this rare throwback interview, Shah opens up about his desire to take on challenging roles, from playing a blind man to a deaf character, believing such roles truly test an actor! He also gets candid about juggling between films & theatres, and responsibilities of being a father, shares his thoughts on his sons' future dreams, speaks about stars like Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, and also explains why he never wished to work in Hollywood despite its global appeal. Watch this exclusive unseen conversation, only on Lehren.

#naseeruddin #naseeruddinshah #sparsh #happybirthdaynaseeruddinshah #indiancinema #parallelcinema #bollywoodlegend #throwback #lehren #lehrenretro #exclusive #ratnapathakshah #jantarmantar #studentprotest

Category

People
Transcript
00:00When the film gets bad, the film will also get bad.
00:06Being a sportsman is very difficult. If they're a sportsman, I would be happy, but I would be very anxious.
00:10In a Hollywood film, an Indian actor can never get a starring role.
00:14And even if he does, it will be the role of an Indian driver or waiter or Italian or Spanish
00:20or Mexican.
00:21You would get typecast.
00:23They say, yeah, you're good.
00:26But Akshay and all is better.
00:28So that's all right.
00:36I had a film called Sparsh, which I played in a role of an Indian actor.
00:42And I think it's the best performance of my career.
00:47And since that film has become more than 15 years,
00:51I think it's a lot of depression.
00:52I think it's the best performance for a 15 year old.
00:58I've never been able to do that quality.
01:00Or I didn't get that role.
01:01I didn't get a role after that.
01:04After that, I had a dream that I would like to play a male male.
01:11Because the physical challenge in it is very...
01:18very powerful.
01:21Because the gestures of a male male are so clear, precise and expressive
01:29that a person who can listen, may not be able to listen to it.
01:36I wish someone would give me that kind of role.
01:39Have you ever made a mistake in selecting a film?
01:42In my opinion, there is no such film.
01:43In my opinion, there is no such film.
01:50Where I felt that I was mistaken.
01:57I really don't think there has been any such film.
02:07When the film is good, it will also be good.
02:13What do you think about your younger co-stars?
02:15They all like me. I like them all.
02:19I think they are wonderful.
02:20And I think I admire them very much.
02:24Because each one of them has some ability.
02:28That's the great thing.
02:29They have all become stars on their own steam.
02:32Not because their parents are stars or anything like that.
02:38They all have some ability.
02:42And they are all physically fit.
02:45Most of them don't have any bad habits, which is wonderful, I think.
02:50And they are great.
02:52Do you take your role as a father seriously at home too?
02:55Yeah, I love doing that.
02:58I just like it.
03:00I think parents enjoy this business much more than the children.
03:06When it's time for the children to go away,
03:09it's the parents who have a difficult time, not the children.
03:12What do your children want to become?
03:14I would have liked to be a sportsman.
03:18I would love it if one of them become.
03:20But then being a parent of a sportsman is very difficult
03:22because the child goes through a lot of traumas when he fails.
03:26being a sportsman is very difficult.
03:28If they are a sportsman, I would be happy.
03:30But I would be very anxious.
03:31Do your children have talent for acting?
03:34They are always in every child.
03:37All children act, all the time.
03:39It remains to be seen when they grow up.
03:43When they grow up,
03:44they keep their dreams of living.
03:46If they live, they will become an actor.
03:48If they don't live, they will become an actor.
03:50Who are their favourites?
03:52They are very kind to me.
03:56They say, yeah, you are good.
03:59But Akshay and all is better.
04:02So that's alright.
04:04How do you cope with your films and theatre?
04:06That's difficult.
04:07I wish I didn't have to do it.
04:09I wish I could do only theatre or only films.
04:13Doing them both together is a strain.
04:15To run from here in Mud Island to Nariman Point
04:20to do a show after a whole day's shooting,
04:23fight scenes,
04:25working in the sun.
04:26Then to get fresh all over again.
04:29It's worse than doing a second shift
04:30in terms of physical fatigue.
04:32But there's no other problem.
04:34Do you like acting in Hollywood?
04:35Do you like acting in Hollywood?
04:37Not at all.
04:41Because in a Hollywood film,
04:44an Indian actor can never get a starring role.
04:48And even if he does,
04:50it will be the role of an Indian driver or waiter
04:54or Italian or Spanish or Mexican.
04:57you would get typecast.
05:00The way a foreigner would get typecast in India.
05:03Have you changed as an actor?
05:05No, I don't think so.
05:07I don't think I can answer that.
05:08I think you should ask the people I've worked with.
05:12I really don't know if I've changed.
05:14I don't think I've changed.
05:16And if I've changed,
05:17I hope it's for the better.
Comments

Recommended