Naseeruddin Shah admits he has given ‘very bad performances’. Actor recalls how his sons wake him up at 3 am to watch them

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is currently gearing up for the release of Main Vaapas Aaunga. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the upcoming film also stars Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari Wagh in important roles. The makers recently unveiled the trailer of the film during a launch event in Mumbai, where Naseeruddin Shah spoke candidly about his acting journey, career failures and his experience of working with Imtiaz Ali.

Despite being regarded as one of India’s finest actors, Naseeruddin Shah admitted that he has also delivered performances he is not proud of. During the event, the actor reflected on how an actor’s success depends heavily on the quality of writing and direction.

Naseeruddin Shah shares why his sons wake him up at 3 am

As reported by The Indian Express, Naseeruddin Shah said that even the best actor in the world cannot do much if the writing is weak. He openly acknowledged that he has given “very bad performances” in some films throughout his long career.


The actor also shared a humorous anecdote involving his sons. He revealed, "I believe any actor’s success goes to the writer and director; if the writing is not great, even the finest actor in the world cannot do anything. I have given some very bad performances in films; my sons wake me up at 3 am in the night to show me those films on YouTube. I would rather sleep."


For the unversed, Naseeruddin Shah has two sons, Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah, with his wife, actress Ratna Pathak Shah.

Even while speaking about failures, the veteran actor stressed that he does not believe actors alone deserve all the credit for a successful performance. According to him, writers and directors play the biggest role in shaping memorable characters and stories.

During the conversation, Naseeruddin Shah also praised Imtiaz Ali for his work on Main Vaapas Aaunga. He described the script as brilliant and said the film features powerful situations and strong dialogues. The actor added that he has admired Imtiaz Ali’s films for years and appreciates the filmmaker’s discipline and warmth while working with actors.

Naseeruddin Shah further explained that very few directors ask for retakes purely to improve an actor’s performance, and he considers Imtiaz Ali to be one of those rare filmmakers.

Imtiaz Ali, meanwhile, recalled his first meeting with the veteran star and shared an interesting story about how different Naseeruddin Shah was from his intimidating public image. The filmmaker said he had initially been told that the actor was extremely serious, but their first interaction surprised him completely.



According to Imtiaz, when he visited Naseeruddin Shah’s house for the first time, the actor was more concerned about whether he had been served tea properly than discussing cinema seriously. That moment made the filmmaker realise that despite his legendary reputation, Naseeruddin Shah was warm, grounded and approachable.

Imtiaz Ali also revealed that he was excited to see the actor play a Sikh gentleman in the film. He added that everyone who watched the rough cut of the movie loved Naseeruddin Shah’s performance the most.

Produced by Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment, Main Vaapas Aaunga is scheduled to release in theatres on June 12.