Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards for his contributions to Indian cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in the World Cinema.
In 1982, he married his second wife, actress Ratna Pathak, daughter of actress Dina Pathak, with whom he has two sons. His sister-in-law is actress Supriya Pathak, who is married to actor Pankaj Kapur.
Early life
Naseeruddin Shah was born on 20 July 1950 in Barabanki town, Uttar Pradesh, into a Nawab family.
Shah attended St. Anselm’s Ajmer school and St Joseph’s College, Nainital. He graduated in arts from Aligarh Muslim University in 1971 and attended National School of Drama in Delhi.
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His elder brother, Lt. General Zameerud-din Shah6 PVSM, SM, VSM, had a distinguished career in the military, having served as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, and later was appointed a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal and also Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Personal life
During the 70s and 80s they co-starred in several films, including Mirch Masala and The Perfect Murder. They were in a live-in relationship for many years, while Shah put together the mehr required to divorce Manara. Shah and Pathak were finally married in 1982. Manara died the same year due to unknown reasons. By his second marriage, Shah has two sons, Imaad and Vivaan, both of whom are actors. The couple lives in Mumbai with Heeba, Imaad and Vivaan.
Shah was married to Manara Sikri and had a daughter, Heeba, with her. In the 1970s, Shah met and fell in love with Ratna Pathak, the daughter of Dina Pathak, a well-respected character actress.
Naseeruddin Shah Age Girlfriend Wife Family Biography
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Profession(s) | Actor, Director |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 7” |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 71 kg in Pounds- 157 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 39 Inches – Waist: 32 Inches – Biceps: 11 Inches |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | White |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 20 July 1949 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 74 Years |
| Birthplace | Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| School | St. Anselm’s Ajmer, Rajasthan St Joseph’s College, Nainital |
| College | Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh National School of Drama, Delhi |
| Educational Qualifications | Graduate in Arts |
| Debut | Film: Nishant (1975) Directorial: Yun Hota to Kya Hota (2006) |
| Family | Father– Aley Mohammed Shah Mother– Farrukh Sultan Brothers– Retd. Lt. General Zameerud-din Shah and 2 more Sister– N/A |
| Religion | Islam |
| Address | 04, Sand Pebbles, Perry Cross Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Playing Tennis, Reading |
| Controversies | • In an interview in 2016, Naseeruddin Shah referred to late superstar Rajesh Khanna as a “mediocre actor”. He further added that a ‘poor actor’ like Rajesh Khanna was responsible for the mediocrity in films in the 70’s. However, the comments did not go well with Khanna’s fans and family and Shah was heavily criticized for defaming a deceased superstar. • In May 2016, Anupam Kher raked up a storm on Twitter when he shared a collage of Kashmiri Pandits killed during the 1990 exodus. The tweet came in regard to the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen’s ‘poster boy’ Burhan Wani in an encounter. Shah, however, did not like Kher’s tweet and took a dig at his former co-star. He said, “A person who has never lived in Kashmir has started a fight for Kashmiri Pandits. Suddenly, he has become a displaced person.” Infuriated by Shah’s take, Kher then tweeted, “Shah Saab ki Jai Ho. By that logic, NRIs should not think about India at all.:)” • Shah went to Pakistan in early 2015 to promote his memoir, And Then One Day, at the Lahore Literary Festival. While addressing media and fans at the venue, Shah started talking about the animosity between the two countries. “Indians are being brainwashed into believing that Pakistan is an enemy country without being aware of the historical background. Politicians will change colors whenever it suits them. But artists from both countries must look beyond the political animosity”, Shah said. This statement, however, hurt Indian sentiments. Pressure group Shiv Sena even issued a statement saying that only the near and dear ones of the 26/11 victims would understand that why there is so much hatred against Pakistan. |
| Favourites | |
| Directors | Neeraj Pandey, Rajkumar Hirani, Neeraj Ghaywan |
| Actors | Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Shammi Kapoor, Dara Singh, Boman Irani |
| Film | Bollywood: Masaan (2015), Dil Chahta Hai (2001) |
| Colour | Black |
| Sport | Tennis |
| Travel Destination | Dubai |
| Girls, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Widower |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Not Known |
| Wife/Spouse | Late Parveen Murada aka Manara Sikri, Actress Ratna Pathak, Actress |
| Marriage Date | 1 April 1982 (Ratna Pathak) |
| Children | Son– Imaad Shah, Vivaan Shah (Both Actors) Daughter– Heeba Shah, Actress (Daughter from first wife) |
Career
Shah has acted in movies such as Nishant, Aakrosh, Sparsh, Mirch Masala, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai, Trikal, Bhavni Bhavai, Junoon, Mandi, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!, Ardh Satya, Katha, and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. He made his debut with a small role in film Aman (1967) starring Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu.
Shah became active in mainstream Bollywood cinema with the 1980 film Hum Paanch. In 1982, he acted in the film Dil Aakhir Dil Hai directed by Ismail Shroff, opposite Rakhee. One of his most important films, Masoom, was released in 1983 and was shot at St Joseph’s College, Nainital. His next major success in mainstream films was the 1986 multi-star film Karma where he acted alongside veteran Dilip Kumar. Starring roles for films such as Ijaazat (1987), Jalwa (1988) and Hero Hiralal (1989) followed. In 1988, he played opposite his wife Ratna Pathak as Inspector Ghote, the fictional detective of H. R. F. Keating’s novels in the Merchant Ivory English language film The Perfect Murder. He acted with Aditya Pancholi in films like Maalamaal (1988) and Game (1993).
He has acted in several multi-star Bollywood films as well, such as Ghulami (1985), Tridev (1989) and Vishwatma (1992). In 1994, he acted as the villain in Mohra, his 100th film as an actor. He forayed into Malayalam cinema the same year, through T. V. Chandran’s drama Ponthan Mada. The film portrayed the irrational bonding of a feudal serf (played by Mammootty) and a colonial landlord (played by Shah). He strongly believed that the distinction between art and commercial films had largely reduced, especially with the directors of the former also making commercial films. In 2000, Shah played Mahatma Gandhi in Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram which focused on the assassination of Gandhi from the assailant’s point of view.
Shah played Mohit, the drunken coach to a deaf and mute boy in Iqbal. Shah was noted for his roles in the 1999 Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh, where he played Gulfam Hassan – a ghazal singer-cum-terrorist mastermind — and in Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday (2008).
Shah has also starred in international projects, such as Monsoon Wedding in 2001 and a Hollywood adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003 (co-starring Sean Connery), where he played Captain Nemo. His portrayal of Nemo was very close to the design of the graphic novel, although his Nemo was far less manic. He worked in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, titled Maqbool, in 2003, and Rajiv Rai’s Asambhav opposite Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra in 2004. He then went on to work in The Great New Wonderful (2005). Shah played a pivotal role in Today’s Special, Aasif Mandvi’s 2009 independent comedy film. In 2011, Shah was seen in The Dirty Picture. He acted in Anup Kurian’s The Blueberry Hunt, playing a recluse growing marijuana in his forest retreat, and in Waiting, starring opposite Kalki Koechlin, both of which were released in 2016.
Shah made his Pakistani film debut in Khuda Ke Liye by Shoaib Mansoor, where he played a short cameo. His second Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag was selected as the country’s official entry to the 86th Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film award.
As a director
Shah has performed with his theatre troupe at places such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Lahore. He has directed plays written by Lavender Kumar, Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto.
His directorial debut in movies, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, was released in 2006. It stars several established actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal, Irrfan Khan, then-newcomer Ayesha Takia, his son Imaad Shah and his old friend Ravi Baswani.
Other media and art forms
In 1977, Shah, Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani formed a theatre group called Motley Productions. Their first play was Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which was staged at the Prithvi Theatre on 29 July 1979.
In 1988, he acted in the eponymous television series based on the life and times of Mirza Ghalib, directed by Gulzar and telecast on DD National.
In 1989, he acted as the Maratha King Shivaji in another eponymous television series Bharat Ek Khoj based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book The Discovery of India.
In mid 1990s, Shah also hosted some episodes of science magazine programme Turning Point.
In 1999, he acted as a special agent in the TV series Tarkash on Zee TV. He played a retired agent haunted by nightmares who is re-inducted as he apparently knows something about a dreaded terrorist somehow connected with his past. He played the villain with the dual identity of a ghazal singer and a Pakistani spy who supports terrorism in India in Sarfarosh (1999). He was the first of several celebrity actors, who played narrator in the popular audiobook series for kids Karadi Tales. He along with wife Ratna was the narrator in the film Paheli — the Indian entry to the 2006 Academy Awards.
In 2017, Shah returned to film, starring in Shakespearean adaption The Hungry, screened under special presentations at the Toronto International Film Festival 2017. He also acted as lead in The Coffin Maker directed by Veena Bakshi, which however never got released in public but only remained for private viewership.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Nishant | Vishwam | Hindi |
| 1976 | Manthan | Bhola | Hindi |
| 1977 | Bhumika | Sunil Verma | Hindi |
| Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane | Shastri | Kannada | |
| Godhuli | Priest | Hindi | |
| 1978 | Junoon | Sarfaraz Khan | Hindi |
| Hungama Bombay Ishtyle | Raju | Hindi | |
| 1979 | Sparsh | Aniruddh Parmar | Hindi |
| Sunayana | Raju | Hindi | |
| 1980 | Beqasoor (1980 film) | Sunil Verma | Hindi |
| Aakrosh | Bhaskar Kulkarni | Hindi | |
| Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai | Albert Pinto | Hindi | |
| Bhavni Bhavai | King Chakrasen | Gujarati | |
| Hum Paanch | Suraj | Hindi | |
| Khwab | Gopal ‘Gopi’ Mathur | Hindi | |
| 1981 | Chakra | Lukka | Hindi |
| Sazaye Maut | Uday Jagirdar / Omkar Puri | Hindi | |
| Tajurba | Hindi | ||
| Umrao Jaan | Gohar Mirza | Hindi | |
| 1982 | Bazaar | Salim | Hindi |
| Situm | Subhash | Hindi | |
| Dil…Akhir Dil Hai | Hindi | ||
| Naseeb Ni Balihari | Gujarati | ||
| 1983 | Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro | Vinod Chopra | Hindi |
| Katha | Rajaram Purshottam Joshi | Hindi | |
| Masoom | D.K. Malhotra | Hindi | |
| Mandi | Tungrus | Hindi | |
| Protidan | Prabhat Roy | Bengali | |
| Woh Saat Din | Dr. Anand | Hindi | |
| Ardh Satya | Mike Lobo | Hindi | |
| 1984 | Paar | Naurangia | Hindi |
| Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! | Advocate Malkani | Hindi | |
| Holi | Professor Singh | Hindi | |
| Khandhar | Subhash | Hindi | |
| 1985 | Ghulami | SP Sultan Singh | Hindi |
| Trikaal | Ruiz Pereira | Hindi | |
| Mirch Masala | Subedar | Hindi | |
| Apna Jahan | Anil Sahani | Hindi | |
| Khamosh | Captain Bakshi | Hindi | |
| 1986 | Karma | Khairuddin Chishti | Hindi |
| Genesis | Hindi | ||
| Musafir | Hindi | ||
| 1987 | Jalwa | Inspector Kapil | Hindi |
| Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin | Trivedi | Hindi | |
| Ijaazat | Mahender | Hindi | |
| 1988 | Hero Hiralal | Hero Hiralal | Hindi |
| Maalamaal | Raj | Hindi | |
| Pestonjee | Phirojshah | Hindi | |
| The Perfect Murder | Inspector Ghote | English | |
| 1989 | Tridev | Jay Singh | Hindi |
| Mane (The House) | Rajshekar | Kannada | |
| 1990 | Police Public | Sr. Inspector Mahar Singh Gadhwal | Hindi |
| Chor Pe Mor | Hindi | ||
| 1991 | Ek Ghar | Rajashekhara K. S | Hindi |
| Sau Crore | Somnath | Hindi | |
| Lakshmanrekha | Amar Kapoor | Hindi | |
| 1992 | Vishwatma | Suryapratap Singh | Hindi |
| Chamatkar | Amar Kumar (Marco) | Hindi | |
| Panaah | Devaa | Hindi | |
| Hasti | Vishal | Hindi | |
| Tahalka | Captain Ranvir | Hindi | |
| 1993 | Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa | Father Breganza | Hindi |
| Sir | Professor Amar Verma | Hindi | |
| 1994 | Ponthan Mada | Sheema Thampuran | Malayalam |
| Mohra | Mr. Kushal Jindal | Hindi | |
| Drohkaal | DCP Abbas Lodhi | Hindi | |
| 1995 | Naajayaz | Raj Solanki | Hindi |
| Takkar | Inspector De Costa | Hindi | |
| 1996 | Himmat | Luka | Hindi |
| Chaahat | Ajay Narang | Hindi | |
| 1997 | Bombay Boys | Mastana | Hindi |
| Daava | Bhishma | Hindi | |
| 1998 | Chinagate | Major Sarfaraz Khan | Hindi |
| Such A Long Journey | Jimmy Bilimoria | English Hindi | |
| Dandnayak | |||
| 1999 | Sarfarosh | Gulfaam Hasan | Hindi |
| Bhopal Express | Bashir | Hindi | |
| Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail | Punjabi Restaurant Owner | Hindi | |
| 2000 | Hey Ram | Mahatma Gandhi | Tamil Hindi |
| 2001 | Kasam | Mangal Singh | Hindi |
| Monsoon Wedding | Lalit Verma | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Encounter: The Killing | Inspector Bharucha | Hindi |
| 2003 | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Captain Nemo | English |
| Maqbool | Inspector Purohit | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Asambhav | Sameer “Sam” Hans | Hindi |
| 3 Deewarein | Ishaan | Hindi | |
| Main Hoon Na | Brig. Shekhar Sharma | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Paheli | Male Puppet (Voice) | Hindi |
| Iqbal | Mohit | Hindi | |
| The Great New Wonderful | Avi | English | |
| 2006 | Being Cyrus | Dinshaw Sethna | Hindi |
| Krrish | Dr. Siddhant Arya | Hindi | |
| Omkara | Bhaisaab | Hindi | |
| Shoonya | Old man | Hindi | |
| Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota | Narrator | Hindi | |
| Banaras | Babaji | Hindi | |
| Valley of Flowers | Yeti | French German Hindi | |
| 2007 | Parzania | Cyrus | Hindi |
| Amal | G.K. Jayaram | Hindi | |
| Khuda Ke Liye | Maulana Wali | Urdu | |
| Dus Kahaniyaan | (Anthology film) story Rice Plate | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Mithya | Hindi | |
| Shoot on Sight | Tariq Ali | Hindi | |
| Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na | Amar Singh Rathore | Hindi | |
| A Wednesday! | A Common Man | Hindi | |
| Maharathi | Jaisingh Adenwalla | Hindi | |
| Mere Baap Pehle Aap | Nirmal Kapoor | Hindi | |
| Bombay to Bangkok | Khan | Hindi | |
| 2009 | Barah Aana | Shukla | Hindi |
| Firaaq | Khan Sahab | Hindi | |
| Today’s Special | Akbar | English | |
| Bolo Raam | N.S. Negi | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Peepli Live | Salim Kidwai | Hindi |
| Ishqiya | Iftikhar | Hindi | |
| Raajneeti | Bhaskar Sanyal | Hindi | |
| Allah Ke Banday | Warden | Hindi | |
| 2011 | 7 Khoon Maaf | Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdar | Hindi |
| That Girl in Yellow Boots | Diwakar | Hindi | |
| The Blueberry Hunt | Colonel | Hindi | |
| Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | Salman Habib | Hindi | |
| The Dirty Picture | Suryakanth | Hindi | |
| Deool | Dacoit | Marathi | |
| Chaalis Chauraasi | Pankaj Purushottam Suri (Sir) | Hindi | |
| Michael | Michael | Hindi | |
| Chargesheet | The Boss | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Maximum | Arun Inamdar | Hindi |
| 2013 | Sona Spa | Baba Dayanand | Hindi |
| Jackpot | Boss | Hindi | |
| Khasi Katha– A Goat Saga | Butcher | Bengali | |
| Siddharth | Jisa | Hindi | |
| Mastaan | Hindi | ||
| Zinda Bhaag | Pehlwan | Punjabi | |
| John Day | John Day | Hindi | |
| The Coffin Maker | Anton Gomes | Indo-American | |
| Krrish 3 | Dr. Siddhant Arya (Cameo) | Hindi | |
| Sunglass / Taak Jhaank | Bengali/Hindi | ||
| 2014 | Dedh Ishqiya | Iftekhar (Khalu Jaan) | Hindi |
| Finding Fanny | Ferdinand “Ferdie” Pinto | English | |
| Khasi Katha | Butcher | Bengali | |
| Dil Bhi Khaali Jeb Bhi Khaali | Hindi | ||
| 2015 | Dirty Politics (film) | Manoj Singh | Hindi |
| Dharam Sankat Mein | Neel Anand Baba | Hindi | |
| Welcome Back | Wanted Bhai | Hindi | |
| Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein | Hindi | ||
| Waiting | Prof. Shiv Kumar | Hindi | |
| 2016 | Bankster | Babbar | Hindi |
| Teraa Surroor | Robin “Bird” Dharamraj Santino | Hindi | |
| The Blueberry Hunt | Hindi | ||
| Mango Dreams | Abhay | English | |
| Jeewan Hathi | Urdu | ||
| Gardaab | Urdu | ||
| 2017 | Ok Jaanu | Gopi Shrivastava | Hindi |
| Irada | Parabjeet Walia | Hindi | |
| Begum Jaan | Raja Sahib | Hindi | |
| The Hungry | Tathagat Ahuja | Hindi | |
| Dhh | Magician Surya Samrat | Gujarati | |
| 2018 | Aiyaary | Baburao Shastri | Hindi |
| Hope Aur Hum | Nagesh Srivastava | Hindi | |
| 2019 | The Tashkent Files | PKR Natrajan | Hindi |
| Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi | Babuji | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Mee Raqsam | Hashim Seth | Hindi |
| 2022 | Gehraiyaan | Vinod Khanna | Hindi |
| 2023 | Kuttey | Narayan Khobre | Hindi |
As director
- Yun Hota To Kya Hota (2006)
Short films
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Interior Cafe Night | The Man | Adhiraj Bose |
| 2017 | Pinjra | Narrator | Prammod Sanghi |
| 2018 | Skin Of Marble | Father | Pankuj Parashar |
| 2018 | Rogan Josh | Vijay Kapoor | Sanjeev Vig |
| 2022 | The Miniaturist Of Junagadh | Hussain Sahab | Kaushal Oza |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Bharat Ek Khoj | Shivaji | |
| Mirza Ghalib | Ghalib | ||
| Param Vir Chakra | Abdul Hamid (soldier) | ||
| 1992 | Electric Moon | Rambuhj Goswami | Television film |
| 1998 | Turning Point | Host | |
| 2015 | Mid Wicket Tales | Host | |
| 2020 | Bandish Bandits | Radhe Mohan Rathod | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2022 | Kaun Banegi Shikharwati | Raja Mrityunjay Singh Shikharwat | ZEE5 |
| Modern Love: Mumbai | Pappi Singh | Amazon Prime Video | |
| 2023 | Taj: Divided by Blood | Akbar | Zee5 series |
| Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo | Saheb-ji | Disney+Hotstar series | |
| Charlie Chopra | Dr. Rai | SonyLIV series |