Naseeruddin Shah criticizes Amitabh Bachchan-Dharmendra's 'Sholay': 'I once told Javed Akhtar he has copied every scene, he didn't even leave...'

Actor-filmmaker Naseeruddin Shah says he once had a discussion about the definition of originality with Javed Akhtar when he told the screenwriter that his 1975 classic Sholay was a copy of Charlie Chaplin and Hollywood filmmaker Clint Eastwood’s works.

Sholay, which Akhtar co-wrote with former writing partner Salim Khan, is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Indian films of all time. “I remember Javed Akhtar had once said to me, ‘Something can be called original when you can’t find its source’. I was talking to him about Sholay, and I said, ‘You have copied every scene, you didn’t leave any of Charlie Chaplin’s films, besides Clint Eastwood is felt in every frame.

“But he said, ‘The question is not about where you have lifted a reference from, it’s about how far you have taken it’. It’s difficult to define originality. William Shakespeare, who is considered a great playwright, apparently was also copying stuff from old plays. But originality was there in the way they presented,” Shah said on Saturday on day one of IFP Season 14.

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Directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay was a Dacoit Western combining the elements of Spaghetti Westerns, popularised by Eastwood, and Samurai cinema. It featured an ensemble cast of the biggest names of the 1970s Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan.

Shah, who made a mark in movies from the parallel cinema Nishant, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, and Mirch Masala as well as created a space for himself in commercial cinema with Hero Hiralal, Vishwatma and Mohra, said he admires directors Mrinal Sen, Basu Chatterjee, Satyajit Ray, Anurag Kashyap, and Vikramaditya Motwane.

“Films of Mrinal Sen, Basu Chatterjee, Mr Ray were a novelty. A film like Bhuvan Shome, Sara Aakash, or Ankur received a great deal of coverage but there weren’t that many people making those films.

“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,” the 74-year-old added.

Shah said his directorial Man Woman Man Woman, a short film, is a small drop in the ocean. The movie stars his wife Ratna Pathak Shah, son Vivaan Shah, Saba Azad, and Tarun Dhanrajgir.

The 26-minute film, depicting love and companionship across two generations, was screened at the IFP. Shah said people expect something dark and intense from him. “So, this film came as a surprise to most people,” he added.

Shah, whose latest work includes web series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and films Kuttey, Gehraiyaan, said he is enjoying doing cameos as enjoyment is the “most important thing” for him today.

“I don’t have to hanker for great roles, I’ve done my share of those. I’m happy doing cameo roles because they don’t require that much effort,” he said. Shah’s son Imaad Shah, who scored the music for the film, was all praise for his parents.

“I was growing up around wonderful actors… The workshops that would happen at home, dealing with different kinds of texts whether English, Hindi or Urdu. I feel they both are not offered their best roles, films are waiting to utilise them fully,” he added.

Azad, who was previously dating Imaad Shah, said working with Ratna Pathak Shah – whom she referred to as ‘maa’ – was “easy” and “wonderful”.

“Because of our relationship, and we know each other, so there’s already a maternal kind of thing. For me it was a dream. I was dying to do this for years, before baba asked me to do it,” she said.