Naseeruddin Shah expresses interest in headlining religion-themed 'courageous' film
Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah has expressed his desire to participate in a film that boldly addresses religious themes. In an interview with Brut India, he stated, "I think courageous films should be made about this factor which seems to be on all our minds." He also acknowledged the difficulties filmmakers face when expressing their views openly and commended directors like Nandita Das, Anubhav Sinha, and Anurag Kashyap for their contributions.
Shah referenced his film 'Khuda Kay Liye'
Shah told Brut India, "This, to my mind, is one of the most harmful things that have happened to humanity, and that is why I consider a film that I did in Pakistan many years ago called Khuda Kay Liye, which was an important film." "Some people are attempting to do that and gradually their numbers may multiply but it's still not easy to make a direct statement and one has to couch one's message in a palatable form."
Shah recently garnered love for 'Manthan' at Cannes
Shah's 1976 classic film Manthan was recently screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Classics section. The film, which also featured Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, and Amrish Puri, received a standing ovation. Inspired by Verghese Kurien's revolutionary milk cooperative movement, Manthan was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated ₹2 each. It won the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and National Film Award for Best Screenplay.
Shah on the rot of the caste system
When asked about Manthan's legacy, he said, "The curse of the caste system is unfortunately still around and still affects millions of our lesser privileged citizens in our country." "And it is a pity that people adhere to it so strongly still. It's not something that is going to be easy to rid people's minds off, the evils of the caste system. I hope it made a statement. I think it did make a statement regarding that."
