Naseeruddin Shah Birthday 2024: From Sparsh to Dedh Ishqiya, here are the actor's most loved films

In Pic: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah (Pic/Instagram)

Known for speaking out and expressing his views in public, Naseeruddin Shah's journey from mainstream Bollywood cinema 'Hum Paanch' in 1980 to the brilliant Bollywood thriller 'The Tashkent Files' in 2019 has been worth cherishing. As Naseeruddin Shah celebrates his 74th birthday, here's a treat of titles starring the award-winning actor for fans to rejoice on!

Sparsh (1980)

This 1980 film will surely give you goosebumps. Directed by Say Pranajpe, this one stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in the main lead, which shares the story of a visually impaired principal and a sighted teacher. The journey of their love, followed by some complex relationships to reconnect with the 'touch' of love. The film remains most memorable for the subtle acting of its leads, plus the handling of the issue of relationships with the visually handicapped, revealing the emotional and perception divide between the worlds of the "blind" and the "sighted", epitomized by the characters.

Masoom (1983)

An adaptation of the 1980 novel 'Man, Woman and Child' by Erich Segal shares the story of Indu (Shabana Azmi) and DK (Naseeruddin Shah) having a happy marriage and two daughters - Pinky and Minni. The tranquillity of their life is interrupted when DK realises that has a son, Rahul, after having an affair with Bhavana (Supriya Pathak) during his 1973 visit to Nainital. The film shares a complex story of a family, leaving you with a lot of questions as the story proceeds.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is a tale of two friends, attempting to start up their own photo studio and come across shady dealings, corruption and murder. They must fight to bring the guilty to light. Played brilliantly by Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani, Vinod and Sudhir are outliers in a system that thrives entirely on blatant self-interest and horrifying corruption. This cynical satire is universal and timeless.

Bazaar (1982)

Set in Hyderabad, India, Bazaar highlights the issue of bride buying, through the tragedy of a young girl being sold by needy parents to affluent expatriate Indians in the Gulf. In this one, Naseeruddin plays Salim, a renowned poet who has been in love with Najma (Smita Patil) for the past six years. The story unravels the journey of the characters, and how they overcome complex relationships throughout the film.

Begum Jaan (2017)

Begum Jaan is the story of 11 prostitutes who refuse to part ways with their brothel and each other during the partition between India and Pakistan. Begum Jaan's brothel is looked after by Raja Sahib (Naseeruddin Shah), under whose protection, they are safe and sound. Written and directed by National Film Award-winning director Srijit Mukherji.

Mid-Wicket Tales with Naseeruddin Shah (2016)

Hosted by the Veteran actor, 'Mid-Wicket Tales with Naseeruddin Shah' explores the many interesting untold stories of Indian cricket. With personal accounts of their experiences from cricketers like Tiger Pataudi and Bishan Singh Bedi, anecdotes from personalities like Shashi Tharoor, Charu Sharma and Sharmila Tagore, re-enactments, and trivia, it's a must-watch for all cricket lovers.

Mohra (1994)

The film went on to become the second highest-grossing Indian film of that year and was declared an All-Time Blockbuster. The film received nine Filmfare nominations in 1995. The film is also remembered for its songs which became chartbusters in that year. The popularity of the song "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast", which was picturised on Raveena Tandon. In the film, Naseeruddin Shah plays Mr Sandeep Jindal, The Main Antagonist owner of "Samadhan Newspaper" and a ruthless drug lord.

Dedh Ishqiya (2016)

In the picturesque land of nawabs, Shayari's and courtly old-world romance, crooks Khallu and Babban (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi) fall for Begum Para (Madhuri Dixit Nene) and the Begum's aide Muniya (Huma Qureshi) respectively. The enthralling performance of the uncle-nephew team is sure to tickle your funny bone. The sequel is definitely better than the original. This black comedy is sharp, spicy and volatile.

Foto (2007)

This super hit award-winning Bollywood kids' movie is about an 11-year-old boy living in a world of imagination and fantasy who struggles to interact with other children. When a film crew arrives in town to make a movie, the lines between reality and fantasy become blurred. Shah plays the lead actor in this beautiful comedy.