In conversation with Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah revealed that his not-so-good looks helped him get his first role in Nishant
It was not merely for his acting prowess that the Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah got his first role in Nishant. Not being a good-looking actor had instantly struck a chord with the film’s director, Shyam Benegal, who cast him for a pivotal role. “I had lost a girlfriend for not being a good-looking man who would make it to the movies, but I got the job because I wasn’t good looking,” Shah said.
The 65-year-old actor was in conversation with writer and actor Girish Karnad at the And Then One Day session. Interestingly, there is a long history behind the camaraderie between the two.
Karnad was the director of prestigious Film and Television Institute of India when Naseer was a student and it was he who had suggested Shah’s name to Benegal, who was sure that he didn’t want a “conventional chocolatey boy” for the role.
“Once Naseer had come to me and asked if him being a Muslim would be an obstacle in his acting careerIJ I had told him that Dilip Kumar too was a Muslim who was loved by many and all,” said Karnad.
But even after making a powerful debut, Shah recollected how “instant fame” was difficult to come by and how he had to go through a period of struggle when he was relatively “jobless.” However, Benegal’s Manthan, which also featured Karnad, changed the course of his career and Shah was seen in a slew of films like Sparsh, Aakrosh and Mandi that required a method actor and not a star. Yet, the lament of not-being a star has disappointed Shah, who admitted that he hadn’t joined the industry to do “art movies”, but he slowly came in terms with his ordinary looks.