Happy Birthday Naseeruddin Shah: Unconventional roles played by the veteran Bollywood actor

Mumbai: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, known for his power-packed performances and unconventional roles, will turn a year older on July 20. From the role of a blind man in ‘Sparsh’ to the father of an illegitimate child, he did justice to all the characters he played on screen. He has been honored with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards for his remarkable work in the film industry.

He worked in films like ‘Hum Paanch’, ‘Nishant’, ‘Aakrosh’, ‘Sparsh’, ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai’, ‘Bhavani Bhavai’, ‘Junoon’, ‘Mandi’, ‘Ardh Satya’, ‘Katha’, ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’, ‘Ijaazat’, ‘Jalwa’, ‘Ghulami’, ‘Mohra’. ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and others. Every time, whatever role he played, be it commercial or unconventional, he proved his acting prowess. As the actor goes to celebrate his birthday, let’s look back at some of his best work in films:

Sparsh (1980)

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The film touches upon a very sensitive subject and brings to the fore the complexities and challenges faced by blind people. It is never easy to be a part of such a film and do justice to the role but Shah did it with utmost dedication. Playing the role of a visually impaired principal, he tried to bring out the emotions of a blind man and how he deals with the world of the blind. The film also stars Shabana Azmi.

Bazaar (1982)

Bringing out the social reality and how women are often forced to go against their will in the society, the film gives a strong message. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Sheikh, Smita Patil and Supriya Pathak, the film was about how young women were forced to marry older men for money and showed their status in a patriarchal society Was. Then Shah proved himself to be a perfect actor in the film.

Masoom (1983)

Another offbeat role played by him was that of the father of an illegitimate child. The film deals with various realities of the society in a very subtle manner. Between the challenges of a single father to a strained marital relationship and emotional turmoil, a lot is strung together and yet, the veteran actor pulls off each role with excellence. The depth of emotion between father and son was the film’s strong point. It stars Tanuja, Supriya Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey along with Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in lead roles. Jugal Hansraj, Aradhana and Urmila Matondkar were seen as child artists.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)

This film proved that Shah was an actor par excellence. He showcased his comic skills in this satirical black comedy in 1983 starring Ravi Baswani, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik, Bhakti Barve and Neena Gupta. Playing the role of one of two photographers trying to solve a murder mystery and corruption, Shah undoubtedly proved that he can bring smiles to faces with his acting prowess.

Sarfarosh (1999)

‘Sarfarosh’ starring Aamir Khan was another landmark film in his career. He has played multi-dimensional characters very well and this film is an example of this. So amazingly, he played Gulfam, a rookie character who appeared to be very soft-hearted, a poet, a ghazal singer and the main antagonist, a ruthless man working for Pakistani intelligence.