It would be a tragedy if Pakistan continues to produce bad copies of Bollywood: Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah talks about his recent visit to Lahore, passion for cricket and tryst with theatre and film

LAHORE:

“Stop watching Bollywood movies” is Naseeruddin Shah’s advice to Pakistani filmmakers. Take note, as these hard-hitting words from a Bollywood acting veteran himself may just be the doorway to establishing a unique identity of local filmdom. “Pakistani directors always try to follow Bollywood and Bollywood always tries to follow Hollywood, even the posters of our films are bad copies of Hollywood,” he says about the precedence a trailblazer inevitably takes, over the one that simply follows a trail.  

This, for you, is Shah in a nutshell – forthright, honest and a trailblazer in his own right. He will give it to you straight from the shoulder and his words will leave a mark so indelible it is hard to slip up on them. At 66, he is an unyielding force – one that has a lot to say about Pakistan, his passion for cricket, his tryst with theatre and film, and the latest play Einstein he performed at the Faiz International Festival in Lahore.

Keeping abreast of the ascent witnessed by the once dwindling local film industry, Shah, who has already featured in Pakistani films Zinda Bhaag and Khuda Ke Liye, feels Pakistani cinema must carve its own space in the world of entertainment. “The biggest tragedy would be if Pakistani cinema continues producing bad copies of Bollywood, which they have been doing. I hope it finds its own identity and I have a feeling it will.”

Naseeruddin Shah arrives in Lahore for Faiz festival



Known for his power-packed performances and lauded for how he fits his characters like a glove, he puts himself through constant self-reflection to ensure his growth as an artist is not stinted. Shah, who was seen in Bollywood films such as Dirty Politics and Welcome Back this year, says to his Pakistani fans, “I would like to apologise for the number of bad movies I have done this year which, frankly, I thought would not get released. I will try to improve next time.”

It is criticism over compliments for Shah, who feels the former helps him evaluate his acting chops more than the latter. “Even I am personally honest and brutal in giving criticism. For instance, I told [filmmaker] Vishal Bhardwaj during the making of Omkara (an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello) to keep the end just like that of the play, but he changed it according to what Bollywood is desirous of.”

Although he has been carrying the bat in his innings as an actor, not many people know Shah once dreamt of becoming a cricketer. “I was actually good at cricket and was an all-rounder,” he shares. And topping his list of favourites in the world of cricket is none other than our very own Inzi. “My all-time favourite is Inzamam-ul-Haq. The elegance of his batting … I have never seen anything quite like that, and it was perceptive of Imran Khan to spot him. I am a great fan of Imran as well. He was a brilliant cricketer,” he says.

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Harking back to his cricket frenzy, he narrates how he was always a fan of former Pakistani cricketer Hanif Mohammad. “Back in the 1960s when I was 10-years-old, the Pakistani cricket team was on tour to India with Hanif as a part of the team. I saved my pocket money just to see my favourite cricketer play,” he recalls. But as luck would have it, Hanif was out for duck during the match, he adds with a snicker.

Shah and Lahore go decades back, with him having been visiting the city every year since 1995. “It’s always wonderful to come back to Pakistan. I come back any excuse I get,” he shares. Of his experience playing the titular character in Einstein, Shah shares, “Well, I am no Einstein but the physical resemblance is evident. I did not need to study physics to play the role but depicting the German accent was a challenge.”

His passion for theatre is evident, his grip on the roles he essays, laudable. “There’s nothing like the harmonious, live contact I have with my audience when I am on stage,” he says with an almost serene tone. He developed a taste for acting when he was in grade nine and was roped in for a play at his school.

“I was an unremarkable student, always stood last in the class and no one wanted to listen to me. Then, I performed on stage for the first time and spoke my lines, suddenly realising there were 200 people listening to me.”

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On the film front, Shah considers Ghalib as his most memorable work but feels he has evolved since with a diverse palette of films. “I have done movies for money, such as playing Captain Nemo in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, for which I made millions because sometimes, money is also very significant,” he says. “But then I have also done movies such as Zinda Bhaag and Iqbal, as I wanted to support and encourage the talent. I went on to feature in The Dirty Picture, where I had so much fun playing my character. I also enjoyed performing in Khuda Ke Liye immensely.”

For Shah, the “greatest actor ever” is Charlie Chaplin. “The work he has done in The Great Dictator, Limelight and Monsieur Verdoux, where he plays a villainous character, are some of his best. He was the most skillful actor. How fearlessly he used to fall! We are afraid of dislocating our shoulders or breaking our spine [when we have to film such a scene],” he notes.

Back in Bollywood, he admires the earlier works of Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar. “Dilip sahib was a great actor till the point where he had great directors. After that, his work started deteriorating.”

Wait with bated breath as Shah will soon be seen in Anu Menon’s film Waiting, which also stars Kalki Koechlin, whom he refers to as ‘brilliant’. Terming it one of the most wonderful scripts he has ever heard, he says, “The film is about two strangers who do not know what they want to do in life and are in coma in a hospital where they long to be visited by their loved ones.”

Amber Liaqat

The writer heads the wardrobe and styling department at Express News.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2015.

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