With over 150 films to his credit Naseeruddin Shah is known for an illustrious career in international cinema. Recently, his film choices have tended towards darker, more political films, specifically Khuda Kay Liye (In the Name of God) and A Wednesday. Both deal with issues of terrorism and fundamentalist strains of Islam. In this segment, he talks about what he looks for when reading scripts, his instincts in choosing work, and why A Wednesday strikes a chord with every average person who has felt sidelined, trapped, or forced to pay when violence erupts.
Whatever we asked Naseeruddin Shah, this legend of Indian cinema took in stride and answered with thought-provoking candor. Whether it's about homosexuality in India (changing, but like “the hang-ups we have about blind people, disabled people... lepers”), advice for young Muslims (“do not read the Koran like a parrot, try and understand it”), or his own orthodox Muslim parents, Naseeruddin truly graced us with every response. He gave us the clearest definition of what it means to be a fundamentalist we've ever heard, talked about why actors cling tightly to superstitions when they become successful, and even told us why his children are being raised without religion. Want a bracing conversation about religion and culture over dinner? Just don't take him out for French or Italian!
What’s the difference between theater and film? Legendary Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah explains to us why the two should be starkly delineated. “I can’t understand why they remake movies as plays -- and then do them exactly like movies!” he says, referring those well-known Broadway plays in which helicopters crash and ships sink onstage. With his theatrical company, Motley, Naseeruddin is bringing back the lost art of Dastangoi the ancient practice of storytelling in which the end of one story leads to the beginning of the next -- bringing theater back to its original intent: one actor, one audience.
What is a Bollywood film? A simple question, we thought, when we asked South-Asian/Canadian actor Vik Sahay (known to world audiences as Lester in the TV show "Chuck") to tell us about his work in the independent film Amal. After all, it was shot in India, and most of the dialogue is in Hindi. But the response we received turned out to be a mesmerizing and deeply personal mediation on how ethnic identities and nationalities are both blurred and arbitrary, how India "hits you from the side," and how, despite his skepticism and reservations, this first visit to the country of his assimilationist parents rung a "deep cultural bell". If you are an ethnic minority, were born in a different country from you parents, or are even slightly curious about bi-cultured people: do.not.miss.
With hundreds of roles to his credit and over 30 years in the Indian film industry, Naseeruddin Shah is considered a lion of Indian cinema. Known for brilliantly disappearing into roles, as well as for his sharp intelligence, Naseeruddin Shah also stays several steps ahead of his contemporaries in exploring new creative directions in independent Indian films, crossover films, films made outside India, and theater. Whether as the dad in Monsoon Wedding or as Captain Nemo in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you never know where he'll turn up next. In this segment he talks to MTV Iggy about the state of the Pakistani film industry, acting in crossover films, why Slumdog Millionaire depressed him (it's not the slums), and the things that Amitabh Bachchan can't stomach.
See our full coverage: Iggy Special: The Bollywood New Wave
Actor, thespian, teacher, and much admired lion of Indian cinema, Naseeruddin Shah visited our MTV Iggy studio to share his thoughts on the Bollywood New Wave. You don't have to wait to see why he's so beloved. Witty, candid, thoughtful, and charismatic, he talks to us about new directors ("Anurag Kashyap is easily the most exciting filmmaker we have in the country at the moment"), why his happiest experiences have been with first time filmmakers, "testicular fortitude" (we're not spoiling that one!), why he admires Shah Rukh Khan (career management, not the acting!), why Irfan Khan is superior to the actors of his generation, and so much more. "'Bollywood' was pejorative which used to run down our industry. It's a measure of our combined idiocy, that we have embraced the term" he says, refusing to accept Hollywood as the standard by which other film industries are measured. So what's next for Naseeruddin? Find out over sushi...but please don't call him puddin'!
See our full coverage: Iggy Special: The Bollywood New Wave