Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who has previously appeared in Pakistani films like Khuda Kay Liye, Zinda Bhaag and Jeewan Hathi, says he will work in Pakistani films only when the relation between the two nations would be good.
Speaking at a press conference of Dharamshala International Film Festival, Shah said he believes that the Indian government should decide whether Pakistani artists be allowed to work in India.
“It depends on the future circumstances whether I would work in Pakistan or not. I don’t know what circumstances will be there (in future). When I will get an offer from Pakistan in future, then I will look into the circumstances and then decide,” he said.
“I have worked in two Pakistani films. In last few years we went to Pakistan to do our theatre shows, but this year we were not able to go there,” he added.
Asked whether the Indian government should think about banning Pakistani artistes from working in India, Shah said, “The government will decide what should be done in it. I feel that we should respect the government’s decision. Whatever the government would decide, that will be correct for me and if the government says no to Pakistani artists than it’s obvious that nobody will work with them, not even me.”
Meanwhile, Naseeruddin, who has been a part of the Indian entertainment industry for over four decades, said in India, both “playwriting and screenplay writing has not evolved”.
“Nothing can be said about screenplays of our films. If we look at Indian films that are considered ‘brilliant’, 90 percent of their screenplays are lifted off from somewhere. Rest of them are recycled from old films. Now we have become used to it and also like it,” he said.
Naseeruddin, who directed the 2006 film Yun Hota To Kya Hota, says he doesn’t have any intentions to direct a film again.
“I once tried to direct a film, but I will never do that. It’s out of my reach and a very difficult job,” he said.
About today’s younger lot of directors, he said, “This phase of Indian cinema is exciting, but it is in the same way as 1970s were exciting when Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Saeed Mirza were directing and Satyajit Ray was at his peak. That was a very exciting time. We thought that the world of cinema is going to change. But nothing happened.
“So it’s premature to celebrate. All of these youngsters who are coming out now are making movies which are not bound by those old formulae. They are trying very hard, not only filmmakers, theatre directors as well. Hopefully, there would be some kind of improvement, but what you do with the audience addicted to the rubbish. They cannot do without it.”