Naseeruddin Shah has rediscovered his funnybone in the forthcoming web-series Kaun Banegi Shikharwati. In an interview with me he admits he is tired of playing serious roles. “I got typecast as a serious actor too damn early in my career and have struggled to shake off that mantle, it was too heavy to lug around but despite my efforts I never got the chance to perform in as many comedies as I would have liked to. But maybe that was also a disguised blessing considering the kind of comedies we make in Mumbai.”

We haven't seen too much of Naseer’s impeccable comic timing since Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. The maestro of the performing arts feels comedy is a serious business. “Comedy is way more difficult that than the serious stuff, in fact I always tell my students that the easiest thing an actor is asked to do is to cry --and all actors LOVE to cry!--but even some experienced and excellent actors have trouble laughing .Watch Sanjeev Kumar in Shatranj Ke Khiladi, for example.”

Many actors, feels Naseer, don't understand the mechanics of laughter. “What happens to the breath and so on when one laughs. Crying is easy because the actor can just recall a past incident, however disconnected the context may be, and the tears begin to flow. Serious actors are held in higher regard because they are.. well.. serious! Mehmood sahab in my opinion was one of the most gifted actors Hindi cinema has ever had yet he is remembered only as a comedian.”

Naseer has some lovely ladies for company in Kaun Banegi Shikharwati. “Lara Dutta is a delightful surprise since I'd never seen her work but she has a WOW personality and of course she's a gorgeous looker and wonderful actor. Soha Ali Khan has an innate sweetness which I suspect masks a fiery temper-though I didn't see any evidence of it! Kritika Kamra, of the sunny smile has something in her eyes which makes you look at her twice, she's terrifically confident and I think she could play an introvert as well as she has done this part. And Anya Singh radiates a kind of mystery and innocence, though I hope she doesn't begin to take herself too seriously and milk these qualities. What she needs as a breakout role is of a foul mouthed woman of the streets!"

Naseer Saab, who has worked in most of his best works with Shabana Azmi, is all praise for his new co-stars, "All these girls were wonderful and affectionate and caring and sincere about their work and I'd happily work with any or all of them again."

Naseer has lavish praise for his colleague who co-stars with him in Shikharwati. "Raghuvir Yadav, I have been a fan of forty years now ever since I saw him on stage in Delhi and couldn't recognise him the next time I saw him. His performance in Massey Sahab, I consider one of the finest in Hindi cinema.”

Also Read: Lara Dutta shares her experience of working with Naseeruddin Shah in Kaun Banegi Shikharwati- “Was on my wishlist for the longest time ever”

2021 was an exceptional year for Manoj Bajpayee. He was officially crowned the Family Man of India. The Amazon Prime show catapulted Manoj to the position of the topmost OTT star. Characteristically Manoj remains unaffected. “I haven’t changed with success or failure. Either way I’ve always been a very responsible actor. I take neither failure nor success too seriously. They are both part of the same cycle of life, and we have to accept both. I’m taking the compliments and praise coming my way with a lot of humility. At the same time I am never bogged down by expectations and the responsibility. Every assignment of mine is equally important to me. I have never differentiated between big and small projects. To me they are all big. And I will continue to be the same. I will choose the assignments very carefully, not to fulfill expectations but to satisfy the hunger within me as an actor. I’ve told you this before: repetition is death for me.”

At the same time, Manoj admits life has changed after the spectacular success of The Family Man. “I admit I am receiving more praise for this than ever before. I take the compliments and the criticism with equal humility. I never get carried away by success. There are two ladies in my life to make sure I remain grounded: my wife and daughter. If I strut around like a star they will probably laugh so hard my balloon will be punctured.”

Family Man 2 in 2021 took Manoj’s career to another level. But Manoj says he is just as proud of his other OTT releases last year. “Silence…Can You Hear It?, Dial 100 and Hungama Hai Kyon Barpat from the Ray anthology on Netflix for which both Gajraj Rao and I were immensely praised…these are all as precious to me as The Family Man. But let me tell you, 2022 is going to be very different from the content I shot for last year. So I am looking forward to the coming year. June-July onwards in 2022, all my new content will start streaming. They are all my passion projects. So I am eager to see how audiences react to them.”

How does Manoj manage to remain so excited about his work? “Yes I am very excited. I continue to be enthused by my work. It is a renewable process. Every year I make sure I look forward to the following year by doing the work that I haven’t done earlier. Luckily I am never short of options. I am lucky to have worked with such brilliant directors in recent times like Devashish Makhija, Deepesh Jain and Abhishek Chaubey. In fact I am now shooting a project with Abhishek Choubey. He is one of my most favourite directors. He is among the finest filmmakers in the country. It’s a privilege to be directed by him. I learn so much just by being on the set with him The way he treats his actors, the way he helps actors get all the nuances right…I’ve learnt so much from him. I am also very happy for Aban Deohans and Rensil d’Silva whose films with me Silence and Dial 100 have done well.”

Manoj’s other significant achievements during the year? “I got my National award for Bhonsle and also a Filmfare award for Family Man. I have just shot three fantastic films directed by Kanu Behl, Ram Reddy and Abhishek Choubey. Hopefully audiences will like me in these, as I have tried to things that I’ve never done before. I’d say these are significant moves ahead for me.”

Looking ahead, Manoj admits to a feeling of uncertainty because of the continuing Covid crisis. “Uncertainty unpredictability….have become the norm in our lives. Whenever I hear of another lockdown I become really sad, because I want to keep working. I don’t want any of my work to be pending. I don’t want any backlog. I want civilization to be saved. I want all of us to get back to our normal lives. I want the smiles to return on everyone’s life. The road ahead makes me sad. And also a little nervous. So many directors are waiting to start their films. When I look at their anxiety, I get very sad. They don’t deserve this. No one deserves this.”

Also Read: “Please give the superstar tag to someone else,” says Manoj Bajpayee