Naseeruddin Shah will host a television series based on the lives of visually-impaired achievers. He slams the idiot box for being nonchalant towards society and dumping down the audience's IQ. By Karan Bhardwaj
While many Bollywood actors might believe that TV is contributing majorly towards creating social awareness, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah feels change is yet to happen. He is quite disappointed with the content being shown on the small screen and says that apart from tennis or cricket matches, there is nothing that he watches on TV. “The kind of fiction we have on Indian TV is perhaps worse than the Hindi movies. The problem is people are already getting addicted to it. It is a terrible sign because all these things are geared towards consciously bringing down the intelligence of audience. I either watch matches or National Geographic and cartoon channels,” says Shah, who is making a comeback on TV after a long gap.
Shah may not be very appreciative of the content on TV but he believes in the power of the medium. “TV has tremendous potential. Due to its incredible reach, you can disseminate message to masses. I feel if significant statements are to be made, it can be done through documentary work on TV. I will never be part of any fiction. It is time-consuming and brain-damaging. I would only want to be part of something like my new show. I think people should come up with something else apart from saas-bahu dramas,” he adds.
His new show Nazar Ya Nazariya, a 13-part series on Doordarshan, aims at challenging common perceptions and focusses on immense possibilities in the lives of visually-impaired. The show is by Score Foundation. “We are trying to make a beginning to encourage change in attitude and thinking. It’s a mammoth task. The change won’t come overnight. We will be grateful if a few people watch it and get affected,” he says adding that that showbiz has never presented disability in a positive manner. “They just go on and on showing blind in a very clichéd and idiotic manner. And they will never learn,” he says.
Shah first touched the subject some 30 years ago with his movie Sparsh. Now he won’t mind doing such a film again “but who would make another film like SparshIJ It’s been 30 years and nobody has bothered about it. Our filmmakers are spineless and gutless. A film like Khuda Kay liye is made in Pakistan, and not in India,” he says.
The character artist understands that television shows with noble concepts don’t draw high TRPs. So he doesn’t have high expectations. “There are reasons why programmes of this nature fail to perform well. First, a lot of them are presented in a boring manner. Somehow, presenters think that they have to adopt serious tone and heavy dramatic music to talk of anything significant. But that’s not the case. It’s the question of the way it’s presented. look at most of our wildlife shows and the kind of programmes Western producers do. Second, such programmes don’t attract advertisers. look how cricket matches are cut suddenly for ads. So you have to bow down to the whims of advertisers. Unfortunately, sponsors are least interested in programmes like this. But despite all odds it’s our job to keep doing it,” he explains.
He also spoke about young filmmakers. He finds them better than those in the 70s. “Some young filmmakers are attempting different subjects but their concerns are still small and insular. But at least that’s happening. Unlike before, they are not living in Malabar Hills and making movies on starvation in Bihar. They are focussing on problems that matter and affect their lives. They have more integrity and are better skilled,” he says.
On change in cinema over the last three decades, the 63-year-old says, “Budgets are bigger. The promotions are mind-destroying. These business figures reflect the mindset this industry always had. They are just coming out in open.”