Naseeruddin Shah is not just one of the most versatile actors of Indian cinema – boasting of a catalog and body of work that few artists in Bollywood have been able to achieve, but he’s also a very ardent critique of whatever he feels lacks in the field of desi cinema.
Like a number of times before, when you have heard him speak about things that irk him in cinema and the downward spiral of popularity-driven flicks, Nasser has yet again spoken about the role movies play in reflecting the era and times they belong to and perhaps serving as a window for future generations to look back and study.
Keeping the concept in mind, the veteran actor also stated how Indian cinema shouldn’t just be remembered for Salman Khan films – as “India is not like that.”
Here is what he was quoted telling PTI:
“I consider it my responsibility to take part in such films. All my serious works are a representative of their times. Cinema will survive. These films would be seen 200 years later. People should know what the India of 2018 was like. They shouldn’t end up seeing only Salman Khan films 200 years later. India is not like that. Cinema is for posterity.”
Shah, who has acted in a variety of socially relevant films like ‘Mandi’, ‘A Wednesday’, ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Paar’ – to name a handful from his vast body of work, also feels that even though movies reflect the times they are shot in, they do not have the power to change the society.
Although, we disagree with him on that point – as movies really do have the power to make a difference, at times – the effects of which can last through many generations, but here is what he was further quoted telling PTI, anyway:
“I feel that cinema can’t change society or bring a revolution. I’m also not sure of cinema as a medium of education. Documentaries can be educative, not feature films. People see them and forget. The only serious function films can serve is to act as a record of their times.”
So what are your thoughts about Shah’s take on Indian cinema or …. on Salman Khan?
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