Naseeruddin Shah: I've Worked For Money And There's No Shame, admits the veteran actor

Bollywood veteran Naseeruddin Shah in a recent interview opened up about his long career in the industry. The star who is known for his intense acting skills revealed that he has worked in some films solely for money and he is not ashamed of it. 

While talking to PTI, the actor said, "I've worked for money and there's no shame. I need to run my kitchen. That's what I tell younger actors. Don't be afraid to do things for money. What are we all working for? Aren't we working to feed ourselves? I've done films for money but not too many films."  

The 'Masoom' star also stated that an actor gets corrupted in the temptation of becoming a star. He noted that the potential of an actor deteriorates believing the myth of his growing fame and glory.

Talking about the same he said, "The easiest way for an actor to get corrupted is by becoming a star. Then you start believing your own myth. You start believing what the press writes about you. That's very dangerous."

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Naseeruddin Shah has been a leading name in the industry when it comes to quality acting. He is widely celebrated for his acting in several films including- 'A Wednesday!', 'Sparsh', 'Ijaazat', 'Nishant' among others. The 68-year-old has been a part of the movement where the independent cinema was thriving and he reportedly considers himself fortunate to be a part of it. 

Talking about films, he mentions that one can never presume the quality of a film by looking at the script. He said, "There's no way anyone can ensure what will be the quality of a film when you read a script. You have to go by instincts and do it. Sometimes it goes right and sometimes wrong".

The actor further revealed that he has worked in several films for free. "I was just an actor these filmmakers used. I admired the fact that the filmmakers were trying to do this and I'm honoured I became a center of that movement. Some cynical friends used to say they want me in their films because I am ready to work for free." he said. 

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"On many occasions, I was told there would be no payment, a lot of times I was promised chicken feed amount like Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000 which I never got by these so-called serious filmmakers," he added.

However, the actor said that he chose to cut off ties with those who took everyone for a ride and worked with people whom he knew were reliable. "That did not embitter me because at the same time there were people like Shyam (Benegal) who was extremely generous and always very fair to everyone in his unit. I cut off relations with a lot of those filmmakers who I knew were taking everyone for a ride, not just me," he said to PTI.  

(With inputs from PTI)