Paresh Rawal says he'll listen to Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan's criticism of govt: ‘They have no special agenda, no axe to grind'
Paresh Rawal is a former Member of Parliament under the Bhartiya Janata Party. But the actor doesn't mind his colleagues from the Hindi film industry voice their criticism against the ruling party. He said celebrities like Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan are devoid of any 'hidden agenda.'
'If Naseer bhai, Aamir or Shah Rukh have something to say, I can't discard that. I'll listen to them because they have no hidden agenda, they have no axe to grind. They're saying it for my own benefit. So I'll listen, introspect, and try to improve. It doesn't make a difference. I respect them, they love me,' said Paresh.
In the interview with The Lallantop, Paresh Rawal hailed Naseeruddin Shah as one of the few in the Hindi film industry who say whatever is in their heart. 'You feel very safe and satisfied around people like these. Otherwise you can't keep looking over your shoulder again and again,' added Paresh.
In an interview with The Lallantop last year, Naseeruddin's wife Ratna Pathak Shah also opened up on their lasting personal and professional equation with Paresh despite differing political ideologies. 'We're all from a time when political beliefs didn't come in the way of interpersonal relationships. This is a more recent trend. But as long as I'm around, I won't let that happen. Nor would I let it happen to the ones I love,' said Ratna, who has starred with Paresh in films like Jaane Tu Ya Jane Naa and Hum Do Humare Do.
Naseeruddin Shah has been a vocal critic of the BJP -led government, particularly in terms of the discrimination against Muslims. Paresh considers Naseeruddin as his idol. He has also directed the veteran actor on stage in the play, The Sleuth. Naseeruddin returned the favour when he cast Paresh in his 2006 directorial debut Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota. They've also shared screen space in Mahesh Bhatt's 1993 relationship drama Sir.
Aamir Khan famously expressed his concern about religious intolerance in 2015, confessing that he's been contemplating leaving the country so that his younger son Azad has a safe upbringing. Paresh has worked with Aamir in films like Rajkumar Santoshi's 1994 cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna and Mansoor Khan's relationship drama Akele Hum Akele Tum.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
BJP leaders in Jharkhand, Bihar laud Modi govt.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani in Jharkhand and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in Bihar listed out the achievements to commemorate the 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Patna, Mr. Meghwal said the scale and speed of the schemes have changed under the Prime Minister's leadership. He cites an example that earlier also there was a plan to build houses but the amount was less and it took more time. 'But when the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was launched by the Modi government, the amount increased, the scale increased and the time of its completion also decreased,' Mr. Meghwal said in the presence of Bihar BJP president Dilip Kumar Jaiswal. In Ranchi, a professional meet was organised by the BJP's Ranchi Rural District wing. Speaking as the chief guest, Ms. Irani said, 'The BJP government under the leadership of Modiji is not hungry for power but to serve the poor farmers and women in villages.' The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha termed the celebration a 'mockery of people's pain and unanswered questions'. Party spokesperson Tanuj Khatri said the ground reality here does not reflect the grand celebrations. 'It echoes with the cries of the people, their struggles,' he said.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Highlighting 11 years of Modi govt., BJP attacks TMC govt.
Union Ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Bhupendra Yadav and Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday shared highlights from the 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led Central government and accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of depriving the State of the Centre's development initiatives and schemes. During an event of the BJP in Kolkata, Mr. Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said that Ms. Banerjee's rule will be remembered for 'heinous crimes against women, teachers losing their jobs in a scam, communal violence in Murshidabad, and massive brain drain from the State due to Trinamool-aligned mafia, strange land policies, and an anti-business attitude'. 'Prime Minister Modi has governed the country with consistency and continuity, and brought transparency to its public initiatives,' Mr. Yadav said. He claimed that while the Central government has not shirked its responsibility in aiding development in the State, the West Bengal government has 'stopped' the Centre's initiatives from being fully implemented in the State. Mr. Majumdar claimed that the State's government has based its actions on 'corruption, appeasement politics, communal disharmony' and alleged that industry would have flourished in West Bengal if the Trinamool government operated with transparency and welcomed the Centre's development initiatives. The legislators also expressed confidence in the BJP forming the government in West Bengal following the Assembly elections in 2026 and said it will 'restore the State's legacy and glory'.
NDTV
28 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Slogans Not Enough. We Are Not Saints": Ajit Pawar On Joining BJP Alliance
Pune: Justifying his decision to join hands with the BJP, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said he and his colleagues were not "saints" who could remain in the opposition and be content with protesting and shouting slogans. Speaking at an event here to mark the 26th Foundation Day of the undivided NCP, Ajit Pawar, currently Maharashtra deputy chief minister, made no definitive statement about the possibility of reuniting with his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar's faction. "The NCP was founded on the ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj. Some people question our decision to join hands with the BJP and the Mahayuti coalition," said Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle in 2023. "But didn't we align with the Shiv Sena in 2019? Even then, compromises were made. Just sitting in the opposition, raising slogans and taking out protest marches is not enough. We are not saints. We are here to give a direction, address people's issues, and practice the politics of inclusion," he said. The party did not form an alliance with the BJP at the cost of ideology, Ajit Pawar claimed. "When we decided to join the NDA and Mahayuti in Maharashtra, we saw that leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, known for secular ideology, had also aligned with the NDA. In the past, leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also part of the NDA. Our focus is want the schemes of the Centre and state government to reach the last man in society, to improve the people's standard of living and ensure that no section of society feels excluded," he said. On speculation surrounding a possible merger of the two NCP factions, Ajit Pawar said party workers may hold differing opinions, but the final decision rests with the leadership. "It is the party leaders who deliberate and decide on such matters," he added. A systematic campaign was underway to spread misinformation about fund distribution by his ministry, said Pawar who holds the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government. "Compared to the previous budget, we have increased allocations for Scheduled Tribes," he said, referring to a row over alleged diversion of funds from the ST department for the Ladki Bahin scheme for women. He also refuted rumours that the Ladki Bahin scheme, under which eligible women receive Rs 1500 per month, was being discontinued.
