Mumbai, June 14, 2026
One of the most celebrated actors of our time, Naseeruddin Shah, once recalled the exact moment he realized that acting was his true calling.
Speaking to fellow actor Anupam Kher during his chat show, “The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai”, Naseeruddin Shah revealed that when he was in the 9th standard, he performed “The Merchant of Venice”, and it was then that he was sure that he was meant to act.
He was heard telling Kher on the show, “That day I realized that this is where I belong. No one can make me move from this place, no matter what.”
Naseeruddin Shah further revealed that his father was really adamant that he should either become a doctor, an engineer, or join the army. However, he admitted that he was extremely poor in studies.
When Kher asked the fellow actor how he came to this realization that he was meant to be in his profession, Naseeruddin Shah shared, “I was a very bad student. I used to come last in the class. Physics, Chemistry, and Trigonometry, I could not understand anything. Apart from literature, I did not know anything else. And there were a lot of good plays in our school for which I was never even tried out because only good students got the role.”
After completing his graduation from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1971, Naseeruddin Shah attended the National School of Drama in Delhi.
Commencing his career with parallel cinema, he entered the mainstream cinema in 1980 with the movie “Hum Paanch”.
Some of his most noteworthy projects include “Masoom”, “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron”, “Karma”, “Tridev”, “Vishwatma,” and “Mohra”, to name a few.
His filmography spanning decades includes many more such cinematic gems.
He was even honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan for his immense contributions to Indian cinema.(Agency)
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