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Successful Bollywood actors are the most boring people on earth: Naseeruddin Shah

Successful Bollywood actors are the most boring people on earth: Naseeruddin Shah

Everyone needs to have a hobby, even the Bollywood big shots
23 May, 2016

Naseeruddin Shah has a thriving career in theatre apart from film. The Ishqaya star believes that his fellow actors should follow suit.

He says actors must have interests other than their life on the big screen. He tells PTI about how its sad that some of the biggest stars cannot speak on topics beyond themselves.

“I feel that film actors should have some other interest apart from movies, whether it is theatre or horse riding, mountain climbing anything. Otherwise you tend to become too insular. You end up like one of these creatures who are stars in our industry, with whom you cannot have two seconds of conversation unless it is about them,” he said.

Shah, who will be seen in the upcoming film Waiting, feels that actors who have no other interests end up being too two dimensional. “You talk about them all night they will listen, but if you talk about anything that taxes their mind, they will switch off. I think it is a shame that some of our biggest stars are so intellectually challenged.”

Naseeruddin Shah admits to not having many friends in the industry, despite his long run in the industry. But the few close friends he has, are people with interests outside of the field. “The most interesting actors that I have met are those, who have other interests. A guy like Danny [Denzongpa], who goes off to Sikkim whenever he feels like. He is into woodwork and carpentry. When I meet him, we talk about carpentry and mountains, never about movies,” he says, while adding “He is one of the few people in the industry I can claim to be a friend of mine. Tinu Anand and Jackie Shroff are others. I can’t think of any other actor whose house I have ever been to or who has been to my house. These are all people who have interests apart from movies.”

Shah's two sons, Imaad and Vivaan are also trying to enter Bollywood, and while they have their father's blessings to pursue the field, Shah hopes that they explore other interests as well.

“I wish they succeed in Bollywood. But I hope their dreams don’t end there. I hope they find something more meaningful to do with their life besides becoming successful Bollywood actors. Successful Bollywood actors are the most boring people on the earth,” he says.

Comments

Ghalib May 23, 2016 11:24am
Very imp point raised. No doubt.
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Arsalan May 23, 2016 11:37am
He's talking about the 90% of Bollywood 'artists'...hollow like their movies!
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khadagg May 23, 2016 11:37am
totally agree with you naseer.
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A. A. May 23, 2016 12:45pm
Very well said
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Naved May 23, 2016 01:37pm
Most of the professional people now a days are limited to their fields only. They don't have time and interest to read other than their field. No interest in arts as such. Unfortunately, we are surrounded by so called educated or successful but superficial people. Anyway, this is a material world.
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Irfan May 23, 2016 01:54pm
He has a valid point. No wonder why we don't see any prolific new talent these days. They all come out and do the same thing. People still persist with the generation of actors who became famous in early 90s. No such proliferation came since then.
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Awadh May 23, 2016 01:58pm
He is real and honest in his expressions. He is one of best actors Mumbai Film Industry have.
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Masood May 23, 2016 04:33pm
He is so correct. I have met a few and all they converse is self jubilation and movie life. Their life is an open book which every body has read multiple times. Then they start bad mouthing others in their field and finally hit the drinks. After drinks and trips to the bathroom they are usually wasted. End of the story.
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Khan May 23, 2016 06:57pm
I blame Raj Kapoor for starting dynastic talent. He never gave chance to a true talent. He never dug into vast millions of talent. He worked with himself or his family members. He started the dynastic acting in India. Today, the industry is in mess.
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Magister May 23, 2016 07:54pm
Bravo! So he is pretty much saying that almost all of Bollywood is shallow low-lives. One can judge that from the standard of movies that it produces anyways!
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Magister May 23, 2016 08:25pm
Bollywood has only fistful of actors. Rest are shallow low-lives that are either their because of their family connections or the underworld!
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sudhir May 24, 2016 09:09am
By that definition Naseeruddin himself should be the most boring guy. Bollywood doesn't have as versatile and as amazing an actor he is.
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sridhar May 25, 2016 03:39pm
Shah thinks he is an intellectual. That is his ego talking. He may find successful people boring because they are focussed on being successful. The less successful ones find them boring i guess!
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