Versatile actor Naseeruddin Shah is popular not only for his remarkable acting skills but for delivering dialogues with excellence and ease. Apart from showering us with the classic Bollywood movies, he is in deep love with his theatre. He started off as a stage artist from the small town of Barabanki and worked hard to get into Bollywood. Naseeruddin Shah started his career in the movie ‘Vishwan’ in 1975, and has acted in numerous movies that make him a legend he is today!
As the actor rings in his 68th birthday today, we bring you some unknown facts about him. Today we take you on a journey through the life of the legendary Naseeruddin Shah through 5 of his best films.
A Wednesday
In this film, Naseeruddin Shah voiced the concern of common people, who were terrified of constant terrorist attacks in the country. Shah epitomized in this gritty performance what a common man can do if he loses his patience. It was Shah alone who carried this film on his shoulders and sent artists like Anupam Kher on sidelines.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
The innocent duo, Naseeruddin Shah, and Ravi Baswani struggle to make a living through their “Beauty photo studio” and sing, “Hum honge kaamyaab, ek din (We shall overcome someday)” till they wind up dragging a dead body, leading to many iconic scenes.Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron is one such film that acquired a cult for dialogues, “Thoda khao, thoda phenko, bahut mazaa aayega" and “Beta Duryodhan, yeh kya ho raha hai!”
Ijaazat (1987)
The Naseeruddin Shah and Rekha starrer Ijaazat was a powerful movie back in the day that dealt with feminism, equality and touched on the subject of patriarchy, which was rare during the 80s. Filmfare wrote about the movie, "Can anyone not be moved by it?"
Katha (1983)
Katha was an instant hit among the masses as it touched on the subject of a working man in Mumbai living in chawls. Naseeruddin played the role of the hard-working commoner and acted exactly like one. The movie had a deep meaning in terms of the hare and tortoise race, which left the audiences to wonder, that even though the tortoise won in the end, was it worth the wait?
Sarfarosh
Naseeruddin Shah seems to have a way with Urdu poetry. The way he recites it is music to ears. In Sarfarosh, Shah played a poet and a terrorist in hiding. He was eerily compelling in mixing charm and malice together. Aamir Khan might have been the lead in Sarfarosh, but it was Naseeruddin who actually stole the show.