
This actor once called Rajesh Khanna an average actor, claimed that Amitabh Bachchan never did any great films, his name is...
This actor started his career in 1973 with Shyam Benegal's film Nishant, in which Shabana Azmi played the lead role alongside him. If you are wondering who we are talking about, this actor is none other than Naseeruddin Shah.
After his debut, Naseeruddin Shah went on to do many movies, including Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Masoom, Aakrosh, Ijaazat, Ardh Satya, Sarfarosh, Ishqiya, and A Wednesday. All these films left a lasting impact on audiences.
Whether it was the role of a sensitive father in Masoom, a terrorist poet in Sarfarosh, a photographer in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, or a common man in A Wednesday, Naseeruddin brought life to every role. Be it action, romance, drama, or comedy, he left his mark in every genre. Naseeruddin Shah Criticised Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna
In an interview in 2010, he questioned Amitabh Bachchan's filmography and said that Amitabh had not done any great film. He also described the classic Sholay as just entertaining, not great.
Similarly, in 2016, he termed Rajesh Khanna an 'average actor' and said that the 70s was an average era of Hindi cinema, and despite Rajesh Khanna's success, his acting ability was limited. However, after criticism from Rajesh Khanna's daughter, Twinkle Khanna, he apologized for this comment.
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The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Shekhar Kapur interview: On ‘Masoom 2', censorship and AI
'Is home a memory, an emotion, or just four walls?' The quandary returned to trouble Shekhar Kapur during the COVID pandemic when the world was shutting down. The celebrated filmmaker, who describes himself as a nomad and is fondly addressed as Ibn Batuta by his close friend Shabana Azmi, found refuge in the Jones Estate of Bhimtal, which he discovered during the recce for Masoom in the early 1980s. At the serene retreat, his 'constant search for identity' began to take shape as a spiritual sequel over the next three months. A product of Partition, Kapur says the concept of home has haunted him forever. 'My parents were refugees from Lahore. When they came to Delhi, my mother wanted her own space. She would forever say 'mainu ghar chahida hai', and my doctor father would remind her that they had just lost their home.' Kapur remembers when construction started in Maharani Bagh; his mother, who had seen two massive earthquakes in her lifetime, would tell the young architect to make it earthquake-proof. 'We were perhaps the first in Delhi to have a house built on stilts. Now that my parents are gone, my sister lives there, and I wander from one city to another. The kind of calls I get, it seems the home has been reduced to a piece of real estate. I would joke that an earthquake will not shake the house, but the tremors in real estate prices just might. All this spurred me to write. After all, we are a country of migrants.' The pangs of Partition, Kapur clarifies, didn't make him bitter but rendered him forever restless. At 24, Kapur says he decided that he would not have a career. 'If the idea of a film comes in front of me, I go to the sets; if a musical excites my imagination, I take the stage. Right now, I am as excited about working on a Korean musical on the life of Beethoven with K-pop stars as working with Naseeruddin Shah and Manoj Bajpayee on Masoom-2.' Bestowed with Padma Bhushan this year, Kapur was in Delhi to hold meetings for the International Film Festival of India in his capacity as festival director. As someone who has witnessed his uncle, Dev Anand, take on Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, Kapur is in a position to reflect on the intermingling of cinema and politics. 'I was around when he forged the National Party. He was a brave man, but I have had my own philosophy. I am not a political animal, but I do feel that if you are living in a democracy, you have to engage with the democratically elected government.' Kapur says there are issues, but democracy is an open door. 'Let's keep talking. I tell my friends who complain about censorship that I had to argue for a year to get Bandit Queen released during the Congress rule. I was also showing an Indian reality. For a long time, the U.S. has been seen as a free society, but today I guess I can express myself better in India than in the U.S.' Kapur finds a kind of intellectual tribalism in the upper echelons of society. 'No one section of society can claim that it understands or represents India completely. Freedom of expression can't exist in a vacuum. It needs to be accompanied by freedom from hunger, freedom to educate, and freedom from poverty.' Creative expression is facing a big challenge from artificial intelligence. Kapur says AI is a democratic technology, but it can't make you a better storyteller. 'If we are predictable in our creativity, AI will catch up. For instance, if we want every Game of Thrones season to have similar character graphs and ambience, AI can do that job. People at the top will lose their jobs as AI will cause the pyramid to collapse. However, the highest form of creativity emerges when we put ourselves in a state of chaos. Life and love exist because there is uncertainty. We can explore the uncertainty between does she love me, does she not in myriad ways by putting ourselves on the line, a machine can't.' Discussing his struggles with content and form, Kapur notes that among his three illustrious maternal uncles, he was emotionally closest to Chetan Anand, known for directing classics like Neecha Nagar, the only Indian film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, whose basic theme echoes in Kapur's jinxed project, Paani. 'Like him, content comes before style for me. You might say Mr India was an exception, but there again, the style was derived from a strong emotion. I saw the space through the 11-year-old in me. And I followed the same process in Elizabeth.' He firmly faced the detractors who equated his restlessness with laziness. Kapur says he seeks 'to climb a new mountain every time,' and sometimes, when he discovers that he is charting the same path, he is open to cutting short the adventure, as he did with projects like Joshilay and Barsaat. 'I believe art is an intuitive idea, and you can't interfere with your intuition. If you don't have your own intuition, what do you have?' he wonders. What about Kapur's perception of love? A nomad at 79 sounds a bit crazy. 'To me, settling down is a very middle-class idea,' he chuckles. 'For me, love is about dissolving yourself into something. I have felt the strongest bond with my daughter Kaveri. But is the search for home liberating or provoking more and more quests? Elizabeth poses the same question towards he end. Did she become a prisoner of herself, or was she liberated from herself? I am not sure, but I like this idea of not being sure. It drives me to try....'


Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Javed Akhtar reveals Jaya Bachchan trusted Amitabh Bachchan despite 11 flops before his breakthrough in Zanjeer: 'She had great respect for his talent...'
Before Amitabh Bachchan's breakthrough with Zanjeer, Jaya Bachchan recognized his potential, even amidst his early career struggles. Javed Akhtar recalls her unwavering belief in his talent, along with Hrishikesh Mukherjee's continued support. Akhtar was certain that Amitabh was the only actor who could embody the character of Vijay in Zanjeer. Before Zanjeer changed everything, Amitabh Bachchan was struggling with back-to-back flops. But as Javed Akhtar recently shared, Jaya Bachchan had unwavering belief in his talent—even before they were married—proving she saw the superstar in him long before the world did. Early Recognition Despite Box Office Failures Amitabh Bachchan began his film career with Saat Hindustani in 1969 but gained early recognition through a supporting role in Anand alongside Rajesh Khanna . Despite landing lead roles afterward, his initial films failed at the box office. In a recent interview with Hook Global, the veteran writer shared that a few people saw Amitabh's potential early on—describing him as a "volcano, waiting to erupt." Among them was Jaya Bachchan (then Bhaduri), who, though not yet married to him, deeply respected his talent. Faith From Those Who Saw His Potential Javed recalled that even before she became his wife, Jaya Bachchan recognised Amitabh Bachchan's immense talent and held deep respect for his work. He added that filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee also believed in him and continued to cast him despite his early flops. Akhtar noted that even in poorly written or executed films, Amitabh's performances stood out. He described him as a "volcano, waiting to erupt," and said that those who observed him closely had complete confidence that he was a major star in the making—just waiting for the right opportunity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo Why Javed Akhtar Knew Amitabh Was 'Vijay' The iconic writer duo Salim-Javed penned the script of Zanjeer, but Javed Akhtar revealed it was he who was fully convinced that Amitabh Bachchan was the perfect fit for the role of 'Vijay'. At the time, Amitabh was out of work, yet Javed—despite barely knowing him—was certain no one else could do justice to the character. Recalling their interaction, Javed shared that he called Amitabh to narrate the script, and the actor, having no work then, readily agreed. After hearing the story, Amitabh asked if Javed really believed he could pull off the role. To that, Javed replied with full conviction, 'Nobody in this country can play it better than you.'


India.com
17 hours ago
- India.com
This superstar gave 11 flops, was left unemployed, one call changed his life, became a star, married his lead heroine, he is...
There are so many actors and actresses in Indian cinema who tasted failure first and then became superstars. These actors are celebrated even today. A similar story is with this actor, who gave 11 flop films, after which he was left unemployed. However, one call changed his life, and this actor landed a blockbuster film. Not just that, this man even married his co-actress. Meet the Actor Who Gave 11 Flop Films Imagine an actor being called a superstar and still giving 11 flops. Yes, you read that right! If you are wondering who we are talking about, then this actor is none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan's Flop Films There was a time when Amitabh gave 11 flop films. This tarnished the actor's reputation and even left him unemployed. The Movie That Changed Amitabh Bachchan's Life During Amitabh's tough time, a phone call changed his life. The movie that saved Amitabh's career was Zanjeer. Written by the iconic duo Salim-Javed, Zanjeer made Amitabh a star. Javed Akhtar told in an interview with Hook Global that he and Salim can never take full credit for Amitabh Bachchan's image as an 'angry young man.' But he did admit that they had to struggle a lot to get Amitabh Bachchan to do Zanjeer. At that time, Big B's market value had taken a hit after 11 flops. Javed also appreciated Amitabh's acting skills. While referring to Jaya Bachchan, Javed Akhtar said, 'Jaya was not his wife then. But she respected his talent. At that time, he had stayed at home, but Jaya was with him and respected his work. The same thing was with Hrishikesh Mukherjee; he also respected her. He was constantly giving her work.' Let us tell you that Jaya and Amitabh got married after Zanjeer.