New Delhi: Actor-director Farhan Akhtar recently reacted to veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah’s old comments on his acting. In an interview with Galatta Plus, now opened up on why he didn’t reach out to the seasoned actor about it.
Farhan Akhtar told Galatta, “I have been doing films for 25 years. There are certain actors, directors, and writers who I have known, and they have debuted maybe 10 years after me. If there is something in their work that I feel, from my observation, that this could be better or that I have this piece of advice to give them… genuinely I would pick up the phone and call them. Or say I would like to meet you and sit down and have a conversation with a person who I care about in a sensitive way because you are going into somebody’s creative process, and giving them constructive feedback from your point of view.”
He added, “But it has to be done with a certain degree of love, and a certain degree of respect for the other person. I felt that it didn’t come from that place. I just felt it was just like a statement just thrown out publicly. I felt that then this person doesn’t respect you… so why should I reach out to a person who doesn’t respect me? It was very clear to me that if he really did genuinely feel that… he knows my dad, Shabana, my mom and me… we worked together in ZNMD, so it would have been the easiest thing for him to say that I want to speak to you, why don’t you come over!”
What Naseeruddin Shah Said About Farhan Akhtar
In his 2013 interview with The Times of India, Naseeruddin had said, “Farhan Akhtar’s films I clearly don’t care for. I liked his first film, Dil Chahta Hai. He’s a tremendous person and has so many facets to him. Tomorrow I won’t be surprised if I hear that he cooked a 10 course meal to perfection. He sings, acts, produces films and writes. I think it’s great he’s doing whatever he can. I’m not a great fan of his acting or his films. But I admire him.”
