Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Premium
This is an archive article published on June 9, 2023
Naseeruddin Shah was paid Rs 7.50 for his first appearance in a film: ‘I was part of the crowd; told everyone I had a substantial role’
Naseeruddin Shah admitted to lying about having a bigger role in the film Aman to his friends and family. He was actually part of the crowd behind Rajendra Kumar.
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. (Express Photo by Vasant Prabhu)
Listen to this article
Naseeruddin Shah was paid Rs 7.50 for his first appearance in a film: ‘I was part of the crowd; told everyone I had a substantial role’
x
00:00
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah shared an interesting anecdote about his first appearance in a movie. In the film Aman, where he started his journey as a background actor, Naseeruddin Shah revealed that he was paid a mere Rs. 7.50. The film starred Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu and Shah mentioned that there was some remaining work, and they needed to shoot a scene with Rajendra Kumar along with a crowd in the background.
In an interview with Lallantop Cinema, Shah said, “The extras would get Rs 15, but I was not from the ‘extra union’ and so I got Rs 7.50. There was a restaurant in Linking road where all the strugglers would go. One day a man came there and he picked 10 of us and told us to reach Natraj Studios the next day. I asked, ‘what do we have to do?’ he said, ‘you have to shoot.’”
The actor said that after facing many difficulties, he managed to stand in the front row for the shot, and that’s how his role made it into the film. Shah never met the director Mohan Kumar again, but he decided not to cut his role from the film. Shah added, “I went home and told everybody that I had a substantial role and that I even gave a speech after Rajendra Kumar’s death. But I told them that the director cut everything while editing.”
The veteran actor also described a magical moment and said, “I cannot explain that happiness. For the first time in my life I saw the cameras. There was a scene, which was cut, in which they made us stand in a line and the camera was taking shots of each one of us, but when the camera was in front of my face, it suddenly stopped and I saw a reflection of myself. It was magical.”
On the work front, Shah was recently seen on the web show Taj: Divided by Blood.
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
Live Blog
