Naseeruddin Shah Recently gave a shocking revelation about cult classic film Sholay. She shared details of an intriguing conversation with Javed Akhtar, who wrote Ramesh Sippy’s film along with Salim Khan. He recalled speaking to Akhtar about originality in cinema which was missing in Sholay.  Shah revealed that he had highlighted to Akhtar that his 1975 film Sholay is from the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Clint Eastwood films.

Naseerudin Shah who is known for vocalizing his thoughts made an appearance at a social event in IFP season 14. Speaking at the event he reflected in time when he had warned Javed Akhtar about Sholay drew heavily from Hollywood movies. He offered a fresh perspective on originality in cinema. He said, “I remember telling Javed Akhtar, ‘You’ve copied every scene, from Charlie Chaplin’s films to Clint Eastwood. His influence is evident in every frame.’ Something can be called original when you can’t find its source. It’s not about where you’ve taken references from, but how far you’ve taken it.”

He further mentioned that originality is not easy but it depends on how you present it. He said, “Even William Shakespeare, considered one of the greatest playwrights, was known to borrow from older works. But the originality lay in how he presented them.”

Naseeruddin Shah is known for acting in parallel cinema and mainstream commercial films. He expressed his admiration for filmmakers like Mrinal Sen, Basu Chatterjee, Satyajit Ray, Anurag Kashyap, and Vikramaditya Motwane who make films they believe. While he thinks the situation in the industry is grim. He said, “Today, there are people like Anubhav Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and there are successors to Basu Chatterjee, like Rajkumar Hirani. So, there are a group of madmen who are making the movies they believe in, but another wave is unlikely. Today, the situation in the industry is grim.”