Signing you in

In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, Rawal reflected on his admiration for Shah, his influence as an actor, and how political differences have never affected their mutual respect. The conversation began with Rawal discussing his performance as a blind man in Aankhen. He revealed that he drew inspiration from Shah’s acclaimed performance in Sparsh.

Speaking about their equation, Rawal clarified that while they are not close friends in the conventional sense, his respect for Shah runs deep. “We are not the kind of friends who visit each other’s homes. We speak over the phone sometimes. I can’t be casual around him because I have tremendous respect for him. He isn’t the kind of person who opens up to everyone, and he makes that very obvious. Besides being a fantastic actor, he is also a wonderful human being.”

Rawal acknowledged that he and Shah have vastly different political views but said they have never allowed those differences to affect their relationship. “We may have different political ideologies, but we have never argued over them. I had once said in an interview that if Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan raises a concern, I will hear them out. I won’t reject what they say outright. I will try to understand their point of view. If I feel they are wrong, I will tell them.”

Rawal also recalled the first time he saw Shah and Om Puri, long before he worked with either of them. “Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri were not conventional good-looking heroes. A friend from IFTDA, Subhash Dangay, would often tell me about this actor from NSD (National School of Drama). I became curious, and one day he took me to where Naseer lived. That evening I saw Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri standing in the parking lot. I hadn’t even seen their work then, but I was mesmerised. They had something magnetic about them. Once you’ve seen Naseeruddin Shah, you simply can’t take your eyes off him. The same was true of Om Puri.”

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He added that he later met Shah properly while working in theatre. “I used to be hypnotised by him. I was always trying to understand what made him so fascinating.”

Recalling their first collaboration, Rawal said it happened on the sets of Lorie. “The first film we worked on together was Lorie. It starred Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Swaroop Sampat. I had a very small role. Director Vijay Talwar knew I would happily do even a tiny part if it meant working with Naseeruddin Shah. That’s where I officially met him. I had a few scenes with him and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

Rawal said that appreciation from Shah has meant more to him than any award. “I have never looked for validation through awards. Once the director says ‘cut’, I move on. But when Naseeruddin Shah called me after watching Mumbai Meri Jaan and said, ‘Jiyo yaar jiyo, kya kaam kiya hai,’ that was the biggest award of my life.”

Rawal was referring to a comment Shah made in 2018 during a conversation with Karwaan-e-Mohabbat. “I was given a religious education…But Ratna [Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin’s wife] did not get any religious education. We chose not to give a religious education to our children. So I fear for my children… because if a mob gathers around them and asks them are you a Hindu or Muslim, they will not have any answer. They have no religion,” he had said.

Earlier, in an interview with The Lallantop, Ratna Pathak Shah, who is married to Naseeruddin Shah, had explained why she and her husband continue to maintain warm relationships with colleagues like Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal despite political disagreements.

“I was born into a family where my father came from an RSS background and my mother was a Communist. There were constant debates and arguments at home, yet we all lived happily together. Disagreeing with someone’s opinion doesn’t mean disliking the person. This idea that anyone who disagrees with you should be cancelled is very new. It is not our culture.”

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