Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah  | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 July 1950 Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Alma mater | Film and Television Institute of India National School of Drama |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse(s) | Parveen Murad, also known as Manara Sikri (deceased) Ratna Pathak Shah (m. 1982) |
| Children | Heeba, Imaad, Vivaan |
| Relatives | Zameerud-din Shah (brother) Dina Pathak (mother-in-law) Supriya Pathak (sister-in-law) Surekha Sikri (former sister-in-law) Mohommed Ali Shah (nephew)Jan-Fishman Khan(ancestor) Shah family |
| Awards | National Film Award Filmfare Awards |
| Honors | Padma Bhushan Padma Shri |
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian actor and director. He has been successful in Bollywood cinema, parallel cinema, and international cinema. In 2004 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Biography
Naseeruddin Shah was a major player in the movement known as "Indian parallel cinema" in the 1980s. Subsequently, while continuing to act in Indian auteur films, he also acted in masalas, and productions international or in Hollywood. He is known for the wide variety of roles he has performed. He also performed extensively in theatre, notably as part of his company, Motley.
Childhood and training
He was born in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1950. He is a distant cousin of Afghan writer Idries Shah. One of his cousins, Syed Kamal Shah, had some success as an actor in Pakistani cinema. His brother, Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, now retired, held important positions in the Indian army.
He grew up in an orthodox Muslim family and did not understand the religious constraints and prohibitions imposed on him. He will explain later that he considers his role as imami liberal in the Pakistani film Khuda Kay Liye to be avenged for this education. His relations with his father, a strict man who wanted him to pursue a career in the senior civil service were often strained.
A bad student, he was unhappy at school and wanted to become an actor from the age of twelve. He studied at the University of Aligarh where he discovered the theater of the absurd, then at the National School of Drama in Delhi, and finally at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
Career
Since his debut (at the end of the 1970s) he has pursued his career as a film actor (and occasionally on television) and as an actor and theater director.
Cinema
“Parallel cinema” (the 1970s and 1980s)
It was Shyam Benegal who offered him his first film role in Nishant, alongside Shabana Azmi, whom he would find in his most famous films. Until the end of the 1970s, he took part in most of this director's films, often in secondary roles. However, after Nishant, he went through a difficult period, during which it was the advertisements for which he did the voice-over, more than his rare roles, which allowed him to earn his living.
Junoon, still from Benegal, put an end to this lean period in 1979. He then worked with all the important directors of parallel cinema (Benegal, Nihalani, Ketan Mehta, Sai Paranjpye ...), a movement that then developed in India and tried to offer films different from those produced by commercial Hindi cinema. He is both untouchable (in Manthan by Benegal and Paar by Goutam Ghose ) and a Brahmin lawyer defending an accused Adivasi (in Aakrosh by Govind Nihalani ).
His role in Paar earned him the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. He is Naurangia, an untouchable from a village in Bihar who must flee with his wife (Shabana Azmi) after killing the man who exploited his community. The couple leaves for Calcutta where Naurangia is unsuccessfully looking for a job. They think of leaving again when they finally find a job: they are tasked with swimming a herd of pigs across the Ganges.
A perilous task that endangers the child that his wife is carrying. Many of the films of these directors indeed address social issues: their roles are then often those of characters revolted against injustices, and anger against society.
Vinod Chopra's character in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, by Kundan Shah, is in the same line: it is a journalist who seeks to reveal a scandal of corruption. However, the tone of the film is different: it is a satire filled with visual gags which leads Naseeruddin Shah to try his hand at comedy.
However, his roles are far from being limited to this type of character: he thus plays in Mirch Masala (by Ketan Mehta) a tyrannical tax collector who threatens an entire village to obtain the favors of one of the villagers (played by Smita Patil ). Not all “parallel cinema” films are as committed, but most attempt to realistically describe a specific social milieu, which leads him to interpret a wide variety of characters from all walks of life:
Parsi in Pestonjee alongside Anupam Kher, a somewhat simple handyman from a brothel in Mandi de Benegal, resident of a Mumbai Chawl in Katha by Sai Paranjpye, a blind school principal in Sparsh by the same director. With Sai Paranjpye he plays in a more intimate vein, in films more centered on the analysis of feelings.
His most famous film of this period, Masoom, by Shekhar Kapur, starring Shabana Azmi, is in this line: he plays a father whose life is turned upside down by the irruption of his son, born of an extra-marital affair. He also acted in films shot in languages other than Hindi, such as the Kannada -language film Tabbaliyu Neenaade Magane. Another version of the same film, in which he also acted, was shot in Hindi as Godhuli (1977).
Commercial cinema (the late 1980s and 1990s)
In the 1990s his participation in auteur films became rare. On the other hand, he played in more commercial films from the mid-1980s. In the beginning, these were mainly films bringing together several stars, such as Karma by Subhash Ghai, in which he confronts a terrorist alongside Dilip Kumar, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff. The film is the biggest hit of 1986. Also doing great.
This film includes one of the rare participation of Naseeruddin Shah in choreography during the song Tirchi Topiwale Following this film he is offered many dance scenes, which he refuses because he is aware of not being a good dancer. He then participates in several action films that follow similar formulas but do not meet with the same success ( Vishwatma, Daava, etc.).
He also happens to be the only hero in semi-commercial films, as in the detective film Jalwa (1987), where he fights against drug traffickers in Goa, and in which he performs his stunts.
Gradually, these positive roles are replaced by the roles of enemies of the hero: falsely blind newspaper manager who covets the heroine played by Raveena Tandon in Mohra, the overprotective big brother of an unbalanced woman in Chaahat, where he opposes Shahrukh on a corrupt policemaker, singer of Pakistani ghazals who takes advantage of a tour of India to organize arms trafficking in Sarfarosh (for which he wins the Filmfare Award for best negative character), or megalomaniac scientist in Krrish.
Among his participations in less commercial projects, we can note the language film Kannada Mane (Hindi title Ek Ghar ), a study of the influence of the immediate environment on the life of a couple who fail to adjust to their new home and neighborhood, and the satirical comedy Bombay Boys (tour in English) in which he plays a dangerous mobster turned film producer, Mastana.
Return to auteur cinema (the 2000s)
From the early 2000s, he found roles in more ambitious productions. These are often cameos wanted by directors wishing to position themselves as heirs to the parallel cinema that they have long represented. However, he also has the opportunity to interpret richer roles, such as the charming and ambiguous condemned man to death in 3 Deewarein, or an old man who falls in love again in Ishqiya.
Two of these films are set in Gujarat during or just after the 2002 inter-communal violence. In Parzania he is a Parsi whose son disappears during the attack on his neighborhood by Hindu extremists. Nandita Das makes he embodies Firaaq an old Muslim musician who notices that no one comes to listen to him play anymore. In 2000, a year after playing Mahatma Gandhi in the theatre, he again donned the great man's khadi in Kamal Hassan '
He also tried his hand at directing, but his film Yun Hota To Kya Hota, in which he did not act, was a commercial and critical failure. Aware of his shortcomings, he doubts his talents as a director and has not made any other films so far
International Films
Naseeruddin Shah was among the candidates for the role of Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's film, which was eventually awarded to Ben Kingsley. It was his role as a family man struggling to make sure his daughter's wedding went smoothly in Mira Nair's The Monsoon Wedding that made him known outside of India. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2001.
He then acted in several American films, including a big Hollywood production, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in the role of Captain Nemo, and a dramatic comedy with the theme of Indian cuisine, Today's Special. He also appears in a Pakistani film, Khuda Kay Liye (2007), in the short but central role of a progressive imam. In 2012, he participated again in a Pakistani film, Zinda Bhaag, alongside three young non-professional actors.
Television
He acted several times in works made for television in the late 1980s. His most notable role was that of the 19th-century Poet Mirza Ghalib in the soap opera of the same name directed by Gulzar in 1988. This soap opera quickly became very popular in India but also in Pakistan and makes it known in this country.
Theater
In 1977, he founded the Motley company with actors Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani. Their first play is Waiting for Godot, . Samuel Beckett's play was chosen by default, because the troupe, then exclusively male, needed a play without female roles and because it suited the reduced budget available to their company, Naseeruddin Shah voices Vladimir, Benjamin Gilani Estragon, and Tom Alter Lucky.
Subsequently, dastan goi Naseeruddin Shah alternately staged European plays (from Shakespeare to Beckett ) and plays from the Hindi and Urdu repertoires. In 2006, he took part in a project aimed at reviving a form of epic recitation that appeared in the Middle Ages in Iran and was popular in India until the end of the 19th century, the dastan goi.
He has also adapted for the theater three short stories by the Urdu-language writer Ismat Chughtai in the form of three monologues performed by his daughter Heeba, his wi, and, himself. He also plays under the direction of other directors: he is thus Créon in Jean Anouilh's Antigone directed by Satyadev Dubey. His rebellious niece is played by his wife Ratna Pathak Shah.
Personal life
After the death of his first wife, with whom he had a daughter, Heeba Shah, also an actress, he married actress Ratna Pathak Shah in 1983. They have two children, Imaaduddin Shah, actor and musician, and Vivaan Shah, actor.
Controversies
Naseeruddin Shah is famous for his undiplomatic statements about other actors or directors. He says about this:
“I was very lucky to never find myself in a situation where I should have cared about pleasing people or speaking to them properly. [...] After all, I owe my success only to myself, even those who allowed me to break through did so because I had what they needed, they did not make me favors.so I don't think they owe them anything. »
Although he was a key player in parallel cinema, he quickly distanced himself from this movement. He disagrees with the directors of this movement on an artistic level. He criticizes them for asking for an unrealistic acting style, which is not satisfactory for the actor that he is and which does not sound right.
On goodwill, acton or more personal level, he also accuses them of having taken advantage of his goodwill to make him work for a very low salary and lower than that of his colleagues. He considers himself to have been very involved (to the point of having lent his clothes to dress the actors of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.
Naseeruddin Shah filmography
Cinema
| Year | Film | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Nishant | Vishwam | Hindi |
| 1976 | Manthan | Bhola | Hindi |
| 1977 | Bhumika | Sunil Verma | Hindi |
| Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane | Shastri | Kannada | |
| Godhuli | Priest | Hindi | |
| 1978 | Junoon | Sarfaraz Khan | Hindi |
| Hungama Bombay Ishtyle | Raju | Hindi | |
| 1979 | Sparsh | Aniruddh Parmar | Hindi |
| Sunayana | No Name | Hindi | |
| 1980 | Aakrosh | Bhaskar Kulkarni | Hindi |
| Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai | Albert Pinto | Hindi | |
| Bhavani Bhavai | King Chakras | Gujarati | |
| Hum Paanch | Suraj | Hindi | |
| Khwab | Gopal 'Gopi' Mathur | Hindi | |
| 1981 | Chakra | Lukka | Hindi |
| Sazaye Maut | Uday Jagirdar / Omkar Puri | Hindi | |
| Tijuana | Hindi | ||
| Umrao Jaan | Gohar Mirza | Hindi | |
| 1982 | Bazaar | Salim | Hindi |
| Site | Subhash | Hindi | |
| Dil...Akhir Dil Hai | Hindi | ||
| Naseeb Ni Bihari | Gujarati | ||
| 1983 | Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro | Vinod Chopra | Hindi |
| Katha | Rajaram Purshottam Joshi | Hindi | |
| Masoom | D.K. Malhotra | Hindi | |
| Mandi | Tungrus | Hindi | |
| Protidan | Prabhat Roy | Bengali | |
| Woh Saat Din | Dr. Anand | Hindi | |
| Ardh Satya | Mike Lobo | Hindi | |
| 1984 | Paar | Naurangia | Hindi |
| Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! | Advocate Malkani | Hindi | |
| Holi | Professor Singh | Hindi | |
| Khandhar | Subhash | Hindi | |
| 1985 | Ghulami | SP Sultan Singh | Hindi |
| Trikala | Ruiz Pereira | Hindi | |
| Mirch Masala | Subedar | Hindi | |
| Apna Jahan | Anil Sahani | Hindi | |
| Khamosh | Captain Bakshi | Hindi | |
| 1986 | Karma | Khairuddin Chishti | Hindi |
| Genesis | Hindi | ||
| Musafir | Hindi | ||
| 1987 | Jalwa | Inspector Kapil | Hindi |
| Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin | Trivedi | Hindi | |
| Ijaazat | Mahender | Hindi | |
| 1988 | Hero Hiralal | Hero Hiralal | Hindi |
| Maalamaal | Raj | Hindi | |
| Pestonjee | Phirojshah | Hindi | |
| The Perfect Murder | Inspector Ghote | English | |
| 1989 | Tridev | Jay Singh | Hindi |
| Mane (The House) | Rajshekar | Kannada | |
| 1990 | Police Public | Sr. Inspector Mahar Singh Garhwal | Hindi |
| Chor Pe Mor | Hindi | ||
| 1991 | Ek Ghar | Rajashekhara K. S | Hindi |
| Sau Crore | Somnath | Hindi | |
| Lakshmanrekha | Amar Kapoor | Hindi | |
| 1992 | Vishwatma | Surya Pratap Singh | Hindi |
| Chamatkar | Amar Kumar (Marco) | Hindi | |
| Panaah | Devaa | Hindi | |
| Hasti | Vishal | Hindi | |
| Tahalka | Captain Ranvir | Hindi | |
| Electric Moon (TV Film) | Rambuhj Goswami | English | |
| 1993 | Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa | Father Braganza | Hindi |
| Sir | Professor Amar Verma | Hindi | |
| 1994 | Pontian Mada | Sheema Thampuran | Malayalam |
| More | Mr. Kushal Jindal | Hindi | |
| Drohkaal | DCP Abbas Lodhi | Hindi | |
| 1995 | Naajayaz | Raj Solanki | Hindi |
| Takkar | Inspector De Costa | Hindi | |
| 1996 | Himmat | Luka | Hindi |
| Chaahat | Ajay Narang | Hindi | |
| 1997 | Bombay Boys | Mastana | Hindi |
| Daava | Bhishma | Hindi | |
| 1998 | Chinagate | Major Sarfaraz Khan | Hindi |
| Such A Long Journey | Jimmy Bilimoria | English Hindi | |
| Dand Nayak | |||
| 1999 | Sarfarosh | Gulfaam Hasan | Hindi |
| Bhopal Express | Bashir | Hindi | |
| Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail | Punjabi Restaurant Owner | Hindi | |
| 2000 | Hey Ram | Mahatma Gandhi | Tamil Hindi |
| 2001 | Kasam | Mangal Singh | Hindi |
| Monsoon Wedding | Lalit Verma | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Encounter: The Killing | Inspector Bharucha | Hindi |
| 2003 | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Captain Nemo | English |
| Maqbool | Inspector Purohit | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Asambhav | Sameer "Sam" Hans | Hindi |
| 3 Deewarein | Ishaan | Hindi | |
| Main Hoon Na | Brig. Shekhar Sharma | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Paheli | Male Puppet (Voice) | Hindi |
| Iqbal | Mohit | Hindi | |
| The Great New Wonderful | Avi | English | |
| 2006 | Being Cyrus | Dinshaw Sethna | Hindi |
| Krrish | Dr. Siddhant Arya | Hindi | |
| Omkara | Bhaisaab | Hindi | |
| Shoonya | Old man | Hindi | |
| Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota | Narrator | Hindi | |
| Banaras | Babaji | Hindi | |
| Valley of Flowers | Yeti | French German Hindi | |
| 2007 | Parzania | Cyrus | Hindi |
| Amal | G.K. Jayaram | Hindi | |
| Khuda Ke Liye | Maulana Wali | Urdu | |
| Dus Kahaniyaan | (Anthology film) story Rice Plate | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Mithya | Hindi | |
| Shoot on Sight | Tariq Ali | Hindi | |
| Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na | Amar Singh Rathore | Hindi | |
| A Wednesday! | A Common Man | Hindi | |
| Maharathi | Jaisingh Adenwalla | Hindi | |
| Mere Baap Pehle AAP | Nirmal Kapoor | Hindi | |
| Bombay to Bangkok | Khan | Hindi | |
| 2009 | Barah Aana | Shukla | Hindi |
| Firaaq | Khan Sahab | Hindi | |
| Today's Special | Akbar | English | |
| Bolo Raam | N.S. Negi | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Peepli Live | Salim Kidwai | Hindi |
| Ishqiya | Iftikhar | Hindi | |
| Raajneeti | Bhaskar Sanyal | Hindi | |
| Allah Ke Banday | Warden | Hindi | |
| 2011 | 7 Khoon Maaf | Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdar | Hindi |
| That Girl in Yellow Boots | Diwakar | Hindi | |
| The Blueberry Hunt | Colonel | Hindi | |
| Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | Salman Habib | Hindi | |
| The Dirty Picture | Srikanth | Hindi | |
| Deool | Dacoit | Marathi | |
| Chaalis Chauraasi | Pankaj Purushottam Suri (Sir) | Hindi | |
| Michael | Michael | Hindi | |
| Chargesheet | The Boss | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Maximum | Arun Inamdar | Hindi |
| 2013 | Sona Spa | Baba Dayanand | Hindi |
| Jackpot | Boss | Hindi | |
| Khasi Katha– A Goat Saga | Butcher | Bengali | |
| Siddharth | Jisa | Hindi | |
| Mastaan | Hindi | ||
| Zinda Bhaag | Pehlwan | Punjabi | |
| John Day | John Day | Hindi | |
| The Coffin Maker | Anton Gomes | Indo-American | |
| Krrish 3 | Dr. Siddhant Arya (Cameo) | Hindi | |
| Sunglass / Taak Jhaank | Bengali/Hindi | ||
| 2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Iftekhar (Khalu Jaan) | Hindi |
| Finding Fanny | Ferdinand "Ferdie" Pinto | Hindi | |
| Khasi Katha | Butcher | Bengali | |
| Dil Bhi Khaali Jeb Bhi Khaali | Hindi | ||
| 2015 | Dirty Politics | Hindi | |
| Dharam Sankat Mein | Neel Anand Baba | Hindi | |
| Welcome Back | Wanted Bhai | Hindi | |
| Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein | Hindi | ||
| Waiting | for Prof. Shiv Kumar's | Hindi | |
| 2016 | Bankster | Babbar | Hindi |
| Teraa Surroor | Robin "Bird" Dharamraj Santino | Hindi | |
| The Blueberry Hunt | Hindi | ||
| Mango Dreams | Abhay | English | |
| Jeewan Hathi | Urdu | ||
| Garda | Urdu | ||
| 2017 | Ok Jaanu | Gopi Shrivastava | Hindi |
| Irada | Parabjeet Walia | Hindi | |
| Begum Jaan | Raja Sahib | Hindi | |
| The Hungry | Tathagat Ahuja | Hindi | |
| The | Magician Surya Samrat | Gujarati | |
| 2018 | Aiyaary | Baburao Shastri | Hindi |
| Hope Aur Hum | Nagesh Srivastava | Hindi | |
| 2019 | The Tashkent Files | PKR Natrajan | Hindi |
| Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi | Babuji | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Mee Raqsam | Hashim Seth | Hindi |
| 2022 | Gehraiyaan | Vinod Khanna | Hindi |
As director
- Yun Hota To Kya Hota (2006)
Short Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Interior Cafe Night | The Man | Adhiraj Bose | |
| 2017 | Pinjra | Narrator | Pramod Sanghi | |
| 2018 | Skin Of Marble | Father | Pankaj Parashar | |
| 2018 | Rogan Josh | Vijay Kapoor | Sanjeev Vig |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Bharat Ek Khoj | Shivaji | |
| Mirza Ghalib | Ghalib | ||
| Param Vir Chakra | Abdul Hamid (soldier) | ||
| 1997 | Turning Point | Host | |
| 2015 | Mid Wicket Tales | Host | |
| 2020 | Bandish Bandits | Radhe Mohan Rathod | |
| 2022 | Kaun Banegi Shikharwati | Raja Mrityunjay Singh Shikharwat |
Awards and nominations
Civilian Awards
- 1987 — Padma Shri — India's fourth-highest civilian award.
- 2003 — Padma Bhushan — India's third-highest civilian award.
Film awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Best Actor | Sparsh | Won |
| 1984 | Paar | Won | |
| 2006 | Best Supporting Actor | Iqbal | Won |
| 1980 | Best Supporting Actor | Junoon | Nominated |
| 1981 | Best Actor | Aakrosh | Won |
| 1982 | Chakra | Won | |
| 1983 | Bazaar | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Masoom | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Katha | Nominated | |
| Mandi | Nominated | ||
| 1985 | Best Actor | Sparsh | Nominated |
| 1994 | Best Supporting Actor | Sir | Nominated |
| 1995 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Mohra | Nominated |
| 1996 | Best Supporting Actor | Naajayaz | Nominated |
| 1997 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Chaahat | Nominated |
| 1999 | Best Supporting Actor | China Gate | Nominated |
| 2000 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Sarfarosh | Nominated |
| 2006 | Best Supporting Actor | Iqbal | Nominated |
| 2007 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Krrish | Nominated |
| 2008 | Best Actor | A Wednesday! | Nominated |
| 2012 | Best Supporting Actor | The Dirty Picture | Nominated |
| 2021 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Bandish Bandits | Nominated |
| Best Actor in a Web Original Film | Mee Raqsam | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Sarfarosh | Won |
| 2006 | Best Supporting Actor | Iqbal | Nominated |
| 2008 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Mithya | Nominated |
| 2009 | Best Actor | A Wednesday! | Nominated |
| 2011 | Best Performance in a Negative Role | Allah Ke Banday | Nominated |
| 2012 | The Dirty Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Finding Fanny | Nominated | |
| 1986 | Best Actor (Hindi) | Paar | Won |
| 2006 | Best Supporting Actor (Hindi) | Iqbal | Won |
| 1984 | Volpi Cup for Best Actor | Paar | Won |
Other awards
- 2000: Won: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Appointments
- 1993: Filmfare Award-nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Sir
- 1994: Filmfare Award-nominated for Best Actor in a Negative Role for Mohra
- 1996: Filmfare Award-nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Naajayaz
- 1998: Filmfare award nominator Best Actor in a Negative Role for Chaahat
- 2000: Filmfare Award-nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for Sarfarosh
- 2007: Filmfare Award-nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Krrish
- 2009: Award-nominated in the Best Actor category for A Wednesday!
