There are only a few versatile actors in the Bollywood industry who can pull off any character with sheer brilliance, one of them is Naseeruddin Shah. Be it intense or comedic roles, the veteran actor has done it all in his career till now.
Apart from owning 3 National Awards, an award from the Venice Film Festival and also 3 Filmfare awards, Shah has also been felicitated by the Government of India through the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.
So, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, here are some of the most gripping roles played by Naseeruddin Shah.
1. Vinod Chopra in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron
This satirical comedy has a fan following of its own even in today’s times. The brilliant performances of Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani portraying photographers who are caught in a whirlwind of cunning journalists, politicians and businessmen is something one can never forget.
2. D.K. Malhotra in Masoom
It is considered one of the best Hindi films of the 1980s. The film deals with a family going through some highs and lows due to a mistake caused in the past by one of the members. Shah’s performance was what made the film so great as he put the right kind of emotion to make himself relatable with the baggage of regret and weakness his character carried throughout the film.
3. Common Man in A Wednesday
Naseeruddin Shah is the highlight of this thought-provoking film dealing with the atrocities and injustice faced by a common man. No one apart from Shah could have pulled off this intense, drama thriller.
4. Mohit in Iqbal
The film revolves around a deaf-mute boy possessing tremendous bowling skills. Mohit, an ex promising player turned drunkard (played by Naseeruddin Shah) becomes his only hope as he forces Iqbal to learn from him. He once again proved the remarkability of being an actor through this unconventional yet wholesome role.
5. Amar Singh Rathore in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
After giving us multiple hard-hitting roles, Naseeruddin Shah tried his hand at comedy yet again. He played the role of protagonist, Jai’s father who has been dead for many years but interacts with his wife (played by Ratna Pathak Shah, his real-life wife) when no one is there. People loved the comedic element he gave to the film through this quirky character.
6. Salman Habib in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Although it was a cameo, but Shah’s role binds the entire film together. His character’s disdainful attitude and running away from responsibilities to pursue his own dreams appears heart-wrenching when one realises how many people got hurt because of his actions. A beautiful touch to the sublime comedic, feel-good film.
