Mumbai: Bollywood veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who clocked 70 on Monday, is considered among the finest actors in India and is a prominent figure in Indian parallel cinema.
He is successful in both mainstream movies as well as in art films.
Born in Barabanki town of Uttar Pradesh, Naseeruddin made his debut in films with a role in Shyam Benegal's Nishant in 1975.
The Government of India has honoured him with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
The versatile actor even won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1979 for his role of a blind man in the film Sparsh.
Naseeruddin became active in mainstream cinema in 1980 with the film Hum Paanch.
He won a Volpi Cup at the 1984 Venice Film Festival for Goutam Ghose’s Paar (1984), the Filmfare best actor award for his films Masoom, Bazaar, Aakrosh, Chakra, Sparsh, A Wednesday.
Impressing the audience with his villainous roles in films, Naseeruddin won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for Mohra, Chaahat, Sarfarosh, Krrish.
Naseeruddin has also worked in the television industry. His performance in the TV drama series Mirza Ghalib, written and produced by poet Gulzar, has still remembered as one his remarkable outings. He also acted in the eponymous television series, The Maratha King Shivaji, Tarkash and many more.
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Apart from his role as an actor, he also stepped into the shoes of a director.
His directorial debut Yun Hota To Kya Hota was released in 2006. It stars several established actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan, then-newcomer Ayesha Takia, his son Imaad Shah and his old friend Ravi Baswani.
Besides his impeccable outings in films and TV Shows, he is also magnificent when it comes to theatre. The actor has made theatre arts profound and famous with his exceptional acting skills.
He also established a theatre group titled Motley Productions along with Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani.
His theatrical works credit includes Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, Mahatma Vs. Gandhi, Dear Liar, Einstein and A Walk in the Woods.
He was also featured in international productions such as Monsoon Wedding (2001), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) and Today’s Special (2009).
Naseeruddin Shah has time and again surprised the audience with his unparalleled contributions in the field of performing arts.
