5 Recent Films Where Naseeruddin Shah Stole The Show With A Few Scenes

There comes a point in all great actors’ career when they are not offered the lead roles anymore. It might be because of how the scripts are written or how they are financed, but seasoned actors have trouble securing the main role in good films.

Instead, they are given the supporting roles or short cameos and they have to work in that limited space. But a great actor never lets the size of his role affect the impact of his performance.

Naseeruddin Shah is one such actor. This is not to say that he doesn’t get the leading role anymore. Waiting, which has released this Friday to great reviews, has Naseeruddin star opposite Kalki Kolchein. Also, in the last few years, he has headed movies like Iqbal, Dirty Picture and A Wednesday. 

But that’s not always the case. Often, as of late, he has had to satisfy with a shorter role. Of course, that hasn’t stopped him from stealing the show.

Here are 5 times in recent memory when he did exactly that:

 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

ZNMD is a movie that everyone loves. The road-trip movie, which had Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Katrina Kaif, was a story of friendship and love. Nasseeruddin Shah appears in all of one scene in the movie, playing the estranged father of Farhan’s character. The emotionally charged scene is a pivotal one in the movie and Naseeruddin deftly plays his part.

 Peepli Live

Peepli Live, which was produced by Aamir Khan, is a vital film in Indian cinema as it explores the topic of farmer suicides. In a film that largely has unknown faces, there were only few recognisable faces. One was Naseeruddin Shah, playing the small role of the Agriculture Minister Saleem Kidwai.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Those who remember Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, can’t forget Naseeruddin’s insanely funny role of Imran Khan’s dead father. Talking through his portrait in the entire film, his character was hands-down the funniest in the romantic comedy.

Rajneeti

Rajneeti had many big names in the form of Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn and Arjun Rampal. Naturally, majority of the film’s scenes were also reserved for these actors. But Naseeruddin Shah playing the role of a leftist leader Bhaskar Sanyal shone whenever he came on the screen.

Main Hoon Na

Okay, this is not technically a recent film. But most of us clearly remember Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Main Hoon Na. The blockbuster film had many things worth remembering. One of those is Naseeruddin’s small role of Brigadier Shekhar Sharma, who dies very early in the film but sets-up everything that follows.