Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah, at the book launch of the Marathi version of his autobiography “And Then One Day”, said that people don’t take an actor’s opinions seriously. “I think nobody takes an actor’s opinion that seriously. So they should keep their opinion to themselves. People only ridicule their opinions or blatantly dismiss them,” he said at the event. An actor should try to connect with people only through his works, he added.
Shah, a veteran actor and one of the pioneers of India’s independent cinema, was on the news recently, for his comments on late actor Rajesh Khanna. In an interview, he said, “Rajesh Khanna was a very limited actor and wasn’t the most alert person. His taste ruling the industry is what made the industry less content-driven”. This comment drew him flak from many members of the Bollywood fraternity.
Reacting to Shah’s comment, lyricist-scriptwriter Javed Akhtar said that Shah didn’t like successful people. Rajesh Khanna’s daughter Twinkle Khanna expressed her disapproval in a series of tweets.
Sir if u can’t respect the living ,respect the dead-mediocrity is attacking a man who can’t respond @NaseerudinShah https://t.co/4EdyWmwiNj
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) July 23, 2016
Responding to the hostility, the actor apologised to Twinkle Khanna and later clarified that he didn’t withdraw his comment, but only apologized to the family. He said, “I apologised to his (Khanna’s) family because I can understand their feelings. I have not apologised to anybody else nor have I withdrawn that statement.”
Recommended
Read: “I apologised to Khanna’s family, not anybody else,” says Naseeruddin Shah
The actor’s autobiography, ‘And Then One Day’ was first released in 2014. The book traces his journey “from a feudal hamlet near Meerut, to Catholic schools in Nainital and Ajmer and finally to stage and film stardom in Mumbai”. The actor, who has always felt loved by Maharashtrians, decided to launch the book in Marathi as well.
At the book launch, the actor said, “I thought of releasing the book in Marathi because I always felt that there are many people in Marathi who appreciate my work. The kind of love I get and the kind of knowledge Maharashtrians have about my work, I don’t get to see that anywhere else.”
The book has been translated in Marathi by Sai Paranjape.