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Four stories and one man
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Naseeruddin Shah feels "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota," which marks his directorial debut, is a film that has satisfied his creative urge
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PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY
THE SHAH OF CINEMA Naseeruddin Shah
His persona exudes an aura. He is a well read, no-nonsense man who speaks his heart even at the cost of his reputation.
His on-the-ball and disciplinarian attitude on the sets of Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota, his directorial debut, has also earned him the name of a taskmaster.
Well, Naseeruddin Shah never wanted to be a director at all, he reveals, until one day he realised he was undergoing "a creative lull" as an actor.
"Though I did retain my sanity for I was directing plays adapted from writers such as Sadat Hasan Manto and Ismat Chugtai," he says.
Common goal
"During my early acting days, I had no urge to become a director. But in the 1990s, I felt I was stagnating, doing insignificant roles. That's when I resolved to make a film that would satisfy my creative urge. So after a lot of research and reading, I zeroed in on four short stories penned by Uttam Gaura, a Gujarati writer. I wove these four stories into one. All my characters meet each other in the end. They have a common aspiration — to go abroad. I admit that I wasn't technically savvy in this film," says Naseer.
Naseer chose Konkona Sen, Jimmy Shergill, Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan and Ayesha Takia for his film because he "connected with them" whenever he saw them in films.
Apart from two newcomers, Ankur Khanna and Kunal Khanna, Naseer has cast his wife Ratna Pathak Shah and his son Imad. He has also made choreographer Saroj Khan act for the first time.
"Imad was sitting idle at home and I needed a boy who looked as young," he laughs. And he always found Saroj's face "very expressive" because of her training as a dancer. "She is a terrific performer," he says.
Long-cherished dream
Naseer's desire that his actors should feel `utilised' is also one reason for the making of Yun Hota... , something he had yearned for during his acting days. He recalls those days rather wistfully, "Once in Godhuli, I was trying to enact a scene in a more creative way for which I gave countless takes but wasn't satisfied. My director Girish Karnad got fed up. He said, `If you want to give a better shot, it is your problem. For me, the shot you gave is perfect.' Except for Shyam Benegal, Shekhar Kapur, Gulzar and Sai Paranjpe, no director proved to be of any help to me. So, I believe if an actor is not able to deliver, it is the director's fault."
Naseer takes "full responsibility" if any of his actors fails to deliver in the film, though he adds in the same breath that he cares two hoots about film critics and those who are judgmental about actors in their writing.
"For me, the opinion of the critics matters as much as that of laymen. And critics should realise they are no gods. And I hate comments like `this actor is pitted against that actor.' Is it a wrestling match where one has to win?" But despite saying all that, he feels happy with his work now.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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