Farhan Akhtar fires back at Naseeruddin Shah for brutal opinion on his acting

Back in 2013, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah had made a blunt comment about Farhan Akhtar and his work. He had said he was “not a great fan” of Farhan’s acting or his films, except for ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (2001), which was Farhan’s directorial debut.

The remark made headlines at the time, especially because it came from one of the most respected actors in Indian cinema.

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Now, after 12 years, Farhan has finally responded to those words. In a recent interaction, he explained why he never reached out to Naseeruddin after that remark. According to Farhan, criticism is fine, but the way it comes out matters just as much.

Farhan said, “It has to be done with a certain degree of love, and a certain degree of respect for the other person. I felt that it didn’t come from that place. Just felt it was just like a statement thrown out publicly. I felt that then this person doesn’t respect you… so why should I reach out to a person who doesn’t respect me?”

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He added that if someone really cared about him or his work, they could have spoken to him directly instead of making public comments.

“He knows my dad, Shabana, my mom and me… we even worked together in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. So it would have been the easiest thing for him to say, ‘I want to speak to you, why don’t you come over?’”

Farhan also said that he personally tries to follow this principle when it comes to younger talent. If he ever feels the need to guide or give feedback, he prefers to reach out personally rather than comment in the media.

Interestingly, Naseeruddin Shah has not only criticised Farhan Akhtar in the past but also spoken openly about his father, legendary lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Naseer once remarked that Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ (1975), co-written by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan, borrowed heavily from other sources.

“You have copied every scene, you didn’t leave any of Charlie Chaplin’s films,” he had said.

The two actors have even shared screen space in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ (2011), which makes the story all the more intriguing.