Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian actor and director. He mostly works in Hindi Cinema. Apart from being an actor, he is also an environmentalist. He is the recipient of several awards including the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award. For his contribution to cinema, the Indian government has honored him with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
Wiki/Biography
Naseeruddin Shah was born into a Muslim family on July 20, 1949 (age 74 years, in 2023) in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India. He got his primary education from St. Anselm’s Ajmer, Ajmer, Rajasthan and St Joseph’s College, Nainital. When he was only 14 years old, he started acting in the theater. Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ was his first theatrical performance. For higher education, he enrolled at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and received a bachelor’s degree in arts. Later, he attended the National School of Drama in New Delhi.
Childhood photos of Naseeruddin Shah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFA7t8zS2k0
Physical appearance
- Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Family
Naseeruddin Shah was born to Aley Mohammed Shah and Sultan Farrukh.
Naseeruddin Shah (far left) with his parents and siblings
He has three brothers; Retd. Lt. General Zameerud-din Shah (elder) and two others. His brother, Zameerud-din Shah had served as a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and had also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Naseeruddin Shah with his brother Zameerud-din Shah wearing hats
He married the late Parveen Murada aka Manara Sikri on November 1, 1969. At that time, Shah was only 19 years old and Parveen was 34 years old. He is a Pakistani citizen and is currently studying at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Naseeruddin Shah with his first wife
However, in the 1970s and 80s, he fell in love with actress Ratna Pathak. Shah divorced his first wife, Manara Sikri and on 1 April 1982, he married Ratna Pathak.
Naseeruddin Shah with his second wife, Ratna Pathak
With his first wife, Shah had a daughter, Heeba Shah who is an actress. With his second wife, he had two sons; Imaad Shah, Vivaan Shah. Both his sons are actors.
Naseeruddin Shah with his wife, son and daughter
Abraham and Iliana are his grandchildren.
Naseeruddin Shah with his grandchildren
Career
He made his acting debut with the film, Nishant (1975). After that, he has starred in several films; Aakrosh, Mirch Masala, Sparsh, Trikal, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai, Bhavni Bhavai, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!, Junoon, Mandi, Ardh Satya, Katha, etc. In 1977, he together with Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani formed a theater group, called ‘Motley Production.’ Their first play was Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ which was later staged at the Prithvi Theater in 1979. However, he broke into mainstream Bollywood cinema with the film, ‘Hum Paanch.’
Naseeruddin Shah works in Hum Paanch
In 1983, his landmark film, ‘Masoom’ was released which was shot at St. Joseph, Nainital from where he got his education. During the 1980s, he also worked in many films; Ghulami (1985), Karma (1986), Ijaazat (1987), Jalwa (1988) and Hero Hiralal (1989), etc. In 1988, he worked in a TV series based on the life of Mirza Ghalib, directed by Gulzar. In 1994, he acted in his 100th film, ‘Mohra.’ In 1999, he was praised for his role in the film, ‘Sarfarosh.’ In 2000, he portrayed Mahatma Gandhi in Kamal Hassan’s critically acclaimed film, ‘Hey Ram.’ In 2003, he worked in the Hollywood film, ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ with the famous Hollywood actor, Sean Connery. In 2008, Neeraj Pandey’s ‘A Wednesday’ was released in which he played the role of a commoner. The film received critical acclaim and he was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2011, he starred in ‘The Dirty Picture.’ He played a cameo role in the Pakistani film, ‘Khuda Ke Liye.’ His second Pakistani film, ‘Zinda Bhaag’ was selected as the country’s official entry to the 86th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2006, he made his directorial debut with the film, ‘Yun Hota To Kya Hota.’
Controversy
- In an interview in 2016, he made a disparaging comment to an actor, the late Rajesh Khanna that he was a mediocre actor. He further said that a poor actor like Rajesh Khanna was responsible for the mediocrity in 1970s films. However, he was heavily criticized by Rajesh Khanna’s fans.
- In 2015, Shah traveled to Pakistan to promote his memoir, “And Then One Day” at the University of Lahore. When he was talking to fans at the University, suddenly, he started talking about the enmity between India and Pakistan and said, “Indians are being brainwashed to believe that Pakistan is an enemy country without realizing the historical background. Politicians will change colors whenever it suits them. But artists from both countries must look beyond political enmity.” This statement hurt Indian sentiment and was criticized by many right-wing politicians.
- In 2016, When Anupam Kher shared a photo collage of Kashmiri Pandits on Twitter, who were killed in the exodus in 1990. Shah disliked Kher’s tweet and said, “A person who has never lived in Kashmir has started a struggle for Kashmiri Pandits. Suddenly, he became an abandoned person.” Kher was angered by his statement and replied, “Shah Saab ki Jai Ho. By that logic, NRIs should not think of India at all.”
- He slammed Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli and called him, “World’s Worst Behaved Player.” However, this did not go down well with Virat’s fans and was criticized for it.
- In 2018, he made a public statement, “I am worried for my children because tomorrow if a group of people gather around them and ask, ‘Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?’ they will have no answer. I’m worried that I don’t see things improving anytime soon.” Because of this, he has been bashed on social media and for his statement, he has been heavily criticized by politicians.
Awards/Achievements
National Award
Naseeruddin Shah received the Padma Bhushan from APJ Abdul Kalam
National Film Awards
- Best Actor Award for the film, ‘Sparsh’ (1979)
- Best Actor Award for the film, ‘Paar’ (1984)
- Best Supporting Actor Award for the film, ‘Iqbal’ (2006)
Filmfare Awards
- Best Actor Award for the film, ‘Aakrosh’ (1981)
- Best Actor Award for the film, ‘Chakra’ (1982)
- Best Actor Award for the film, ‘Masoom’ (1984)
- Volpi Cup in the Venice Film Festival for the film ‘Paar’ (1984)
Note: In June 2023, he expressed his views on the futility of competitive awards given to actors in India, stating that he uses the Filmfare Award as a bathroom door holder in his farmhouse. He said,
Any actor who has put their life and effort into portraying a role is a good actor. If you just pick one person out of the lot and say ‘this is the best actor of the year’, how is that fair? I am not proud of the award. I didn’t even pick up the last two awards I received. So, when I built the farmhouse I decided to put this award there. Whoever goes to the toilet will get two awards each because the holders are made of Filmfare awards.”
Favourite
- Directors: Neeraj Pandey, Rajkumar Hirani, Neeraj Ghaywan
- Cast: Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Shammi Kapoor, Dara Singh, Boman Irani
- Movie(s): Masaan (2015), Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Facts/Trivia
- The Shah is a descendant of the 19th century Sayyid Afghan warlord Jan-Fishan Khan (Sayyid Muhammad Shah) who participated in the first Anglo-Afghan War and helped the British in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
- His family actually belongs to Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Actually, he first acted in the movie ‘Aman’ released in 1967 where he played a very short role as a boy behind a deceased doctor. However, the film is not considered his first film as he is not one of the main characters.
- His first film, Nishant was later nominated for an Oscar.
- His fellow actor and classmate, Rajendra Jaspal, once took a stab at Shah in FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). Jaspal is envious of his success in acting. However, Shah was saved by actor Om Puri.
Early picture of Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah
- The role of Mahatma Gandhi was to be given to Shah for the film ‘Gandhi’ directed by English filmmaker, Richard Attenborough in 1982, but it was later assumed by Ben Kingsley.
- On the sets of Masoom Gawah in 1990, Shah started an argument with the director, MM Baig and it got so intense that the two got into a fistfight.
- After her first marriage, she realized that her marriage and parenting were obstacles in her life. So, he left his wife and daughter and went to London. He did not see his daughter for the next 12 years. The incident is repeated in reel life; in the film, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,’ she leaves Farhan Akhtar and her mother in India and settles in Spain. The concept was taken from his real incident and it was successful in the end when the film was a hit at the box-office.
- It is said that he was asked to auction for the character of Albus Dumbledore for the film, Harry Potter, but he declined.
Albus Dumbledore was later portrayed by Michael Gambon
- His hobbies are playing Tennis, reading and so on.
- In March 2022, he talked about a disease called onomatomania because he constantly repeats words and phrases in his mind. The actor revealed this during an interview with a YouTube channel called Chalchitra. While explaining the disease, he said,
Onomatomania is a disease in which you keep repeating words or phrases, sentences or sentences or entire speech for no reason at all. Unless you like hearing it. I do it all the time so I never take a break. Even if I’m sleeping, I’ll go through some routes that I like.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
