Biography of Naseeruddin Shah

(July 20, 1950)

Naseeruddin Shah was born in 1950 in Barabanki. He started acting at the age of five in his bathroom. He was an ardent fan of Shammi Kapoor. While he was at the Pune Film Institute, he got an offer to act in Shyam Benegal's film 'Nishant'. Subsequently, he did several Shyam Bengal’s films in supporting roles. But his major breakthrough came in the film ‘Junoon', released in 1978 and then the film Aakrosh in 1980.

His films ‘Masoom', 'Khandahar' and 'Daar', established his credentials as an actor par excellence. The films 'Katha' and ‘Pestonjee’ exemplified his ability to effectively portray difficult roles of emotions and varying characters. His portrayal of a blind man in 'Sparsh' is a landmark in the Hindi film histrionics.

During the late eighties, Naseeruddin drifted to the arena of commercial films like ‘Tridev and Najayaz'. Though he may have forsaken the art movement yet his fans will remember him as a man who helped kindle the fires of the art revolution.