India isn't like a Salman Khan movie, says Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah doesn't seem like a Salman Khan fan - or maybe it's just his films.

In his latest interview the actor says cinema is a record of a time and people and films should reflect that rather than showing song and dance.

“I feel that cinema can’t change society or bring a revolution. I’m also not sure of cinema as a medium of education. Documentaries can be educative, not feature films. People see them and forget. The only serious function films can serve is to act as a record of their times,” said the actor.

Shah says it's his 'responsibility' to do films like A Wednesday and his recent short film, Rogan Josh. “I consider it my responsibility to take part in such films. All my serious works are a representative of their times. Cinema will survive. These films would be seen 200 years later.”

He added, “People should know what the India of 2018 was like. They shouldn’t end up seeing only Salman Khan films 200 years later. India is not like that. Cinema is for posterity.”

The 68-year-old explained that when he was approached to feature in Rogan Josh, a story about a veteran chef who works at Taj Hotels, he was instantly on board.

“If there’s a young man trying to make a song and dance film, I wouldn’t give him a second. But here was a young man trying to make a film on a subject he believes should be made. I am totally for first timers. I always hear them seriously. I have done so many films with first timers and I’ve never regretted it.”

What Shah loves about working in short films is that “there’s no pressure of producers sitting on these filmmakers head and telling them who the hero should be and what kind of songs (should be used). They have the freedom to make the kind of film they want to make without the worry of the box office.”