MUMBAI: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says young actors, who do not have “sugar daddies” matter more than the star kids.
“I don’t waste much time thinking about them (star kids). I think about those who are not star kids. The star kids have it easy. The ones who have made a mark for themselves necessarily do not have a godfather or sugar daddies in the film industry,” Shah told reporters here at the trailer launch of “Charlie Ke Chakkar Mein”. The 66-year-old actor, who has two sons– Imaad and Vivaan– feels that newcomers are skillful and always inspire him.
“I have worked with young actors and most of them are skillful, informed and technically ahead of actors of my generation at that age. I am glad to see vast number of young talented girls and boys appearing in films,” Shah said. “It is inspiring to be working with them. It is always wonderful to work with young people,” he said.
The “A Wednesday” actor feels that struggle is part of everyone’s life. “I also believe the period of struggle hits you at some level. Some people get an easy start, some get delayed start,” Shah said. “I don’t think there is anybody who can escape the heart-breaking struggle that every creative person has to go through whether you are a star kid or not,” he said.
As an actor, Shah has been part of both mainstream and parallel cinema and he enjoys doing both. “I try to do both kind of films- small and big budget. There are films that you do for creative satisfaction and others you just do for money. I have been doing all kind of films in my career. I do films that do not go the formula way and try to be original,” he said.
The National award-winning actor admitted that he has committed mistakes by doing certain movies in his career.
“The content of the film is not in my hands as I am not a writer or a director. I choose projects from what I am offered. After “A Wednesday” I have done films like “Ishqiya” and there have been mistakes like “Jackpot”. Every time you can’t get it right,” Shah said.
Meanwhile, Shah has no plans of directing a film again. His directorial debut “Yun Hota To Kya Hota” (2006) which failed to garner peoples’ attention. “I don’t get the strength to do it (directing a film). It is a difficult thing. I like directing theatre as it is a living thing as every performance and audience is new, also you can make changes or improvements after ten years but this is not the case with films,” he added.
Shah is excited about his next release “Charlie Ke Chakkar Mein”, in which he plays the role of a police inspector. “It is a thriller. The formula is you should not miss the beginning and the end. There is not much that one can reveal about the film or the role as it is a complicated narrative. I am playing a high ranking policeman but there is lot more to the character than just being a policeman,” he said.
Shah has reportedly not charged any fees for doing this film. Talking about it, he said in a lighter vein, “I charged a lot of money… it is all in my bank.”
“I always wanted to participate in a project that is small, but has the possibility of being successful. Very few filmmakers try doing this. I feel popular… successful cinema can be made on small budget,” he added. The thriller is produced by Karan Arora and directed by Manish Srivastav.
PTI