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Naseeruddin Shah plans to direct films

B B Nagpal

Actor Naseeruddin Shah, known for his roles in both art and mainstream cinema, is now planning to write and direct a feature film because "funnily I do not feel the urge to prove myself as an actor any longer." Naseer said this in an interview to BBC's Face to Face.

However, he will not give up acting which "means too much to me to ever give it up," he added. At the same time, Naseer said, that ''I do think it's time for me to broaden my horizons a bit and turn to film direction.''

The acclaimed actor said he felt that ''my real mission in life lies'' firstly, in writing and making a film, and secondly, in teaching. In fact, he has been teaching acting for the past two years. "I have come to believe that acting is not an end in itself. Acting is just a means to communicate what a writer or a director had intended and therefore it is not right for an actor to get too pompous or full of self-importance."

In the interview -- which was based mostly on his childhood and his entry into films -- Naseer said his biggest motivation for acting was his not being happy with himself. He was not a very happy child as he thought himself to be worthless and therefore, looked for models in the movies. He was particularly impressed by Geoffrey Kendall in school.

But Naseer was not allowed to act until he went to a school in Ajmer where he acted in and directed Shakespeare's plays. Much later, he joined the National School Of Drama and The Film And Television Institute Of India before joining the film industry.

During the interview, he also admitted that his first marriage, to a woman 12 years older than him, had been a hasty decision and had broken shortly thereafter. But he had a daughter from that marriage who has just finished her training in a drama school and is aspiring to be an actress.

Naseer later married Ratna Pathak, daughter of character actress Dina Pathak, when they were both at the National School Of Drama.

UNI