Naseeruddin Shah has acted in more than 210 films.
It was the 1960s. A lean young boy dreamed of moving to Mumbai to become an actor. One day, he received a letter from a friend’s girlfriend that read, “Come to Mumbai. My father is a character actor in films—he’ll help you.”
With that hope, he left for the city of dreams. But the girl he had counted on was herself living a modest life. He stayed with a relative for a few days before having to leave. With barely any money, he spent nights sleeping on the floor of a zari factory hall alongside 30 to 40 other workers. At times, he even travelled on Mumbai’s local trains without a ticket.
Years later, that same young man would become one of Indian cinema’s finest actors. With unforgettable performances in films like Sparsh, Masoom, Sarfarosh, A Wednesday! and Ishqiya, he earned the admiration of audiences and critics alike.
Yes, we’re talking about Naseeruddin Shah. On his 76th birthday, here’s a look at some of the lesser-known stories from his remarkable journey.
Left home at the age of 16 and went to Mumbai
Naseeruddin Shah writes in his autobiography, And Then One Day, that after passing his Class 10 exams, he felt the hardest phase of his life was over. While his father wanted him to become a doctor, an officer, or join the Army, Naseeruddin had only one dream—to become an actor, which meant moving to Mumbai.
After enrolling in college, he spent more time in cinemas than classrooms, even using his tuition money to watch films. Around that time, a friend’s girlfriend in Mumbai wrote back to his letter, saying, “Come to Mumbai. My father is a character actor and he’ll help you.” Inspired by those words, Naseeruddin bought a train ticket with his tuition money and left for Mumbai with just ₹500 in his pocket.
Pictures of Naseeruddin Shah’s youth. These are taken from his book. (The quality of the pictures has been improved with the help of AI.)
After reaching Mumbai, Naseeruddin Shah realised the family he had relied on was struggling financially themselves. He stayed with a relative for a few days before moving into a large hall at a zari embroidery factory, where 30 to 40 people slept on the floor every night. To survive, he looked for work as a waiter and even applied for a bellboy’s job at the Taj Hotel, but was rejected. Eventually, a broker got him work as an extra in the film Aman for ₹7.50. Though he appeared only in a funeral procession scene, standing before the camera felt like his dream had finally begun.
Dilip Kumar advised him to stay away from films
Naseeruddin Shah had left for Mumbai without telling his family, leaving them worried for months. One day, while sitting outside the Pampoosh restaurant, he was startled when a gleaming grey limousine stopped in front of him. A woman stepped out, asked, “Is your name Naseer?”, and invited him into the car.
He soon realised she was Saeeda Khan, the youngest sister of legendary actor Dilip Kumar. Shah then discovered how he had been traced. His father, who served as the administrator of the Sufi shrine in Ajmer, had sought help from Dilip Kumar’s sister Sakina, who frequently visited the shrine. Through family connections, they managed to locate him in Mumbai.
The car took him to Dilip Kumar’s bungalow, where he met Sakina. Seeing her, Shah broke down in tears and apologised for leaving home without informing anyone. After an emotional conversation, he finally agreed to return home.
Naseeruddin Shah and Dilip Kumar worked together in Subhash Ghai’s film ‘Karma’, released in 1986. (The quality of the image has been improved with the help of AI.)
They were given a place to stay in the bungalow’s basement. The room was simple, but there were complete arrangements for food, drink, and bathing. One day, he even met Dilip Kumar himself. Shah wanted to ask him for work, but before he could gather the courage, Dilip Kumar explained to him that boys from good families should not enter the film industry. A few days later, Dilip Kumar’s family sent Shah to Meerut.
In an interview given to Lallantop, Naseeruddin Shah had revealed that when Dilip Kumar told him, ‘Boys from good families should not come into films,’ at that moment he wanted to ask Dilip Kumar, ‘If that’s the case, then why did you yourself come into this industry? You too were from a good and respectable family.’
However, he didn’t dare to say so.
Secretly married a 34-year-old Pakistani woman
Naseeruddin Shah’s first wife was Parveen Murad, also known as Manara Sikri, whom he met at Aligarh Muslim University. A final-year MBBS student and Pakistani citizen, Parveen was around 14–15 years older than him. As her student visa was nearing expiry during a period of strained India-Pakistan relations, returning to Pakistan could have made it difficult for her to come back. Marriage offered a way for her to remain in India.
The couple secretly married on November 1, 1969, in a simple ceremony attended only by Parveen’s mother and the wife of one of her professors. None of Naseeruddin’s family members were present. However, the news soon spread across the university and eventually reached his family in Meerut and Sardhana. His father was deeply upset, calling him naive and foolish in a letter, while his mother emotionally asked, “If you had told us, would we have refused?”
Naseeruddin Shah’s picture with Praveen Murad. This is taken from his book. (The quality of the picture has been improved with the help of AI.)
Instead of being happy at the birth of his daughter, he was disappointed.
It was the year 1969. Naseeruddin Shah had just enrolled in the National School of Drama (NSD). Then one morning, he received a telegram in the hostel, ‘Parveen has gone into labor.’ Without delay, he boarded the first bus from Delhi to Aligarh.
He reached the hospital around noon, where Parveen’s mother was standing outside. She smiled and said, ‘A daughter was born at six in the morning.’
Naseeruddin Shah has admitted in his autobiography that he was not happy at that moment. He had hoped for a son. He had imagined a son in his mind, whom he would teach to play cricket, teach to shoot, and make him like himself. Upon hearing the news of a daughter, he was deeply disappointed. He feared that his friends would make fun of him.
Meanwhile, shortly after the birth of their daughter, the relationship between Naseeruddin Shah and Parveen Murad fractured. Circumstances led them to decide to separate. After the separation, Parveen took their daughter Heeba and moved first to London and then to Iran. Later, when Heeba Shah was about 12 years old, she returned to her father.
Heeba Shah played the role of young Dadisa (younger version of Kalyani Devi) in the TV show Balika Vadhu.
Had spoken her heart out in front of her father’s grave
When Naseeruddin Shah received the news that his father had passed away and would be buried in Sardhana, Meerut today, he didn’t even have money to go to Delhi at that time. He borrowed 500 rupees from Ratna Pathak and reached the airport, but all flights were full. He was advised that showing the telegram about his father’s demise might get him an emergency seat, but due to the rude behavior of the staff at the counter, he did not ask anyone for help and returned. Thus, he could not attend his father’s last farewell.
Later, when Naseeruddin Shah reached Sardhana, he sat by his father’s grave and spoke all the things from his heart that he could never say to him while he was alive.
He told him that he had done a new film, in which he played the role of a Hindu priest. Now he is going to play the role of a rebel from 1857. He also said that he had fallen in love with Ratna and now his earnings were also better than before. Naseeruddin Shah felt as if his father was listening to every word he said.
Naseeruddin Shah’s father’s name was Aale Mohammad Shah. He was a government official. Besides this, he also served as the Nazim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
Mother had asked – Will Ratna change her religion?
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak’s wedding took place on April 1, 1982, at Ratna’s mother’s house as a simple registered marriage. The two met in 1975 during the rehearsal of a play called ‘Sambhog Se Sanyas Tak’.
When Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak decided to get married, Naseeruddin one day bravely told his mother that he now wanted to marry Ratna.
Naseeruddin Shah’s mother’s name was Farrukh Sultan.
His mother listened to him completely. Then, in a very calm voice, she asked only one question, ‘Will you ask Ratna to convert to Islam?’
To which Naseeruddin replied without any hesitation,
‘No… I will never ask her to do that.’
He made it clear that if the marriage were to happen, Ratna would enter this relationship with her own identity and religion. He would not put any kind of pressure on her.
After this, his mother herself reached Ratna’s house. She asked Ratna’s mother, the famous actress Dina Pathak, for her daughter’s hand.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah have worked together in many films like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Mandi’, ‘The Perfect Murder’ and ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na’.
Ratna Pathak and Naseeruddin Shah have two sons, Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah.
Friend Jaspal stabbed him from behind
Naseeruddin Shah had revealed in his autobiography that in 1977, during the shooting of the film ‘Bhumika’, his friend Rajendra Jaspal attacked him with a knife. It is said that Jaspal attacked Shah out of jealousy over his success and the achievements he was getting in his career.
At that time, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri were eating at a restaurant. Jaspal arrived there and, a little later, stabbed Naseeruddin Shah in the back with a knife.
Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri worked together in more than 20 films, including ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘Hey Ram’ and ‘Aakrosh’. (The quality of the picture has been improved with the help of AI.)
Om Puri immediately showed bravery and stopped Jaspal from attacking again. After this, chaos ensued in the restaurant and the police arrested Jaspal.
Shah was admitted to the hospital. After spending about two days in jail, Jaspal was granted bail. Later, one day Jaspal suddenly arrived at Shah’s house, but he neither apologized nor expressed regret for the attack. Later, both reached court, where Shah did not pursue the case against him. After this, the court closed the case.
Jaspal was Naseeruddin Shah’s batchmate and friend from his Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) days. (The quality of the picture has been improved with the help of AI.)
Called Shah Rukh Khan a boring actor and Anupam Kher a joker
Naseeruddin Shah is one of those few Bollywood artists who are known for their outspoken and bold statements. He has criticized many actors from time to time. He called Shah Rukh Khan a boring actor and Rajesh Khanna a limited and inferior actor.
Naseeruddin Shah has worked with Shah Rukh in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Chamatkar and Main Hoon Na.
Meanwhile, Shah had also called Anupam Kher a joker, to which Anupam Kher had retorted.
Actually, Shah had said about Kher in an interview,
People like Anupam Kher have been quite vocal. I don’t think he needs to be taken seriously. He is a joker. Many of his contemporaries at NSD and FTII can confirm his sycophantic nature. It is in his nature. He cannot separate himself from it.
In response to this, Anupam Kher had said,
I do not take you or your words seriously at all. Although I never spoke ill of you nor called you names, I would definitely like to say now that despite achieving so much success, you have spent your entire life in frustration. If you can criticize people like Dilip Kumar Sahab, Amitabh Bachchan Sahab, Rajesh Khanna Sahab, Shah Rukh Khan, and Virat Kohli, then I am quite sure that I am also in excellent company. None of them took your words seriously, because we all know that it’s not you, but the effect of the substances you have been consuming for years. Perhaps that’s why you don’t understand the difference between right and wrong.
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher was recently trolled over a statement related to donations for the Ayodhya Ram Temple. During this time, both old videos of Naseeruddin Shah’s statement and Anupam Kher’s reaction in response went viral again. After this, Anupam Kher revealed that a few months ago, both of them had buried their differences and hugged each other.
Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah worked together in the film ‘A Wednesday!’ (2008).
