Quotes from Naseeruddin Shah

I don't scoff at the desire to make good movies. I scoff at the quality at poseurs masquerading as masters of the medium.

What drew me into being an actor was that I never got cast in the school plays - and it used to kill me.

A lot of scripts are written with an eye on what will be popular or what will titillate or what this actor can do well. I don't think those kinds of scripts ever work.

If I criticize my country, it is indeed very painful for me. It doesn't make me happy. But, if I see something wrong, it becomes my duty to speak up.

Nobody can send me to Pakistan. India is my country, and I love my country. Five generations of my family have lived and died on this land, and even my children will live in this country because this is my homeland.

I'm not a political person; I'm not an activist. I'm not a guy with strong beliefs about anything. I have nothing to say to the world.

Undeniable though it is that many Indian Muslims misguidedly consider Pakistan their haven, the immeasurably greater number who take intense pride in being Indian and who connect deeply with the country are hurt and angered at our patriotism being under scrutiny.

One would marvel on the screen the way Shammi Kapoor walked, Dilip Kumar cried, or seeing Dev Anand's style. And then, one day, you are in the same space with them. It's very unreal.

There are some movies that you feel like doing because of the script. Some because it sounds like fun, some because that's the director you want to work with, some because it's a project that you want to be involved with, and some because you will be paid lots of money. But the bottom line is I must feel like doing it.

I don't look at my work as an avenue for generating more work. For me, my work itself is sufficient.

When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star, I wanted to be a Gary Cooper: I wanted to be rich and famous, living in palaces and wearing dark glasses and white suits.

I am from a place called Sardhana, which is near Meerut.

From playwrights I had never heard of and performance forms I had never seen to sculpture and painting, I gained immense experience as an actor in National School of Drama (NSD). I discovered what discipline and good taste in the theatre means.

The stuff that is done on Broadway is hardly theatre. It is part magic show, part rock concert, and part conjuring things.

I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow, if a mob surrounds them and asks, 'Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?' they will have no answer.

It would be impossible to find an actor to portray Om Puri, so I wouldn't even attempt it.

When I was 14 and went on the stage for the first time, it stimulated me so much that I was convinced that I didn't want to do anything else.

Learning a craft is up to you, whether you are doing theatre or movies.

I have done practically everything that I wanted to do in my life.

It's a blessing to stay a child all your life - pretend to be this and that. And get paid for it.

You can't make a film for your personal satisfaction. That is why I detest the cinema of people like Mani Kaul.

It is always a pleasure to be directed by an actor because they know the scene from the actor's perspective, too. That's an advantage.

Given a choice, I prefer directing a play to a film.

I can say with pride that I have a brother who served with distinction in the Indian Army.