Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah was embroiled in a major controversy on Thursday because of an opinion piece he wrote in a newspaper. In the article, he mentioned that he was first invited to Mumbai University's Jashn-E-Urdu event, but his invitation was cancelled at the last moment, citing political reasons.
The same evening, Shah, along with his wife Ratna Pathak Shah and seemingly his manager, was spotted at Hyderabad airport. A Times Now reporter approached him and questioned him about his opinion piece. Initially, the veteran actor politely refused to comment. However, the journalist kept pushing him to respond, constantly holding the mic in front of him and even following him to his car. This frustrated the actor, and he shouted at the reporter and pushed the mic away.
The video, which has now gone viral, shows Ratna Pathak Shah trying to calm the situation, telling Naseeruddin Shah not to react as cameras were rolling. In the footage, when the reporter initially asked about his article, Shah said, "I do not want to talk about this issue, so please don't harass me."
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As the journalist kept insisting, Naseeruddin Shah got visibly angry and said, "I told you I don't want to talk about it," while pushing the mic.
When asked, "Why are you pushing the mic?" he replied, "Because you are shoving it into my face." The reporter continued, "Why are you getting angry, sir?" To this, the Sarfarosh actor shot back, "Because you are bothering me. You take that (mic) out of my face." Later, another woman with Shah told the journalist, "He doesn't want to answer. Why can't you take a no for an answer?"
Naseeruddin slammed the reporter and said, "You can't see I have just come from a journey, and I have said politely, I don't want to talk about this issue. Why are you harassing me?" When the reporter insisted he was not harassing him, Shah shouted, "You are harassing me. Do you understand what I am saying?"
Ratna Pathak Shah took cognisance of the sitution and urged him not to speak, and they moved on to sit in their car.
Netizens sided with Naseeruddin Shah and criticised the reporter for being overly pushy.
What was the article about?
In his Indian Express piece, Shah reflected on his four-decade-long association with teaching and mentoring aspiring actors. He revealed that the university had informed him late on the night of January 31 that he did not attend the event scheduled for the following day. While acknowledging that he has never praised the self-proclaimed "Vishwaguru," Shah clarified that his criticism was aimed at those in power, not the country itself.
"Sure, I have never praised the self-proclaimed 'Vishwaguru'. In fact, I have been critical of the way he conducts himself. His narcissism offends me, and I haven't been impressed by a single thing he's done in 10 years. I have often been critical, and continue to be so, of many things the ruling dispensation does. I have often lamented the lack of civic sense and consideration for others in our country," he wrote.
Why was Naseeruddin Shah disinvited from the event?
In the article, he suggested that the decision may have been linked to his public criticism of the current political climate. He wrote that a senior university official reportedly claimed that Shah openly makes statements against the country, a charge he strongly refuted. Challenging the claim, Shah dared the official to produce "one single statement" in which he had run down India.
