Naseeruddin Shah Dubs ‘Sholay’ a Mix of Chaplin and Eastwood—Javed Akhtar Defends with a Twist

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah recently discussed originality in cinema, recalling a conversation with screenwriter Javed Akhtar. Shah mentioned how he told Akhtar that his 1975 classic Sholay borrowed heavily from Charlie Chaplin and Clint Eastwood’s works. In response, Akhtar emphasized that originality lies in how far one can take a reference, even if its source is identifiable. Shah likened this to William Shakespeare, who borrowed ideas but presented them uniquely.

Speaking at IFP Season 14, Shah highlighted Sholay’s blending of Spaghetti Westerns and Akira Kurosawa’s samurai films. He also praised filmmakers like Mrinal Sen, Satyajit Ray, and today’s directors like Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane for staying true to their artistic vision, despite the current challenges in the film industry.

Shah shared insights about his directorial project Man Woman Man Woman, a short film about love across generations, which stars his wife Ratna Pathak Shah and son Vivaan Shah. While his cameo roles in recent projects like IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and Kuttey are enjoyable, Shah’s focus now is on smaller, meaningful roles. His son Imaad, who composed the film’s music, praised his parents’ acting talents, while Saba Azad shared her delight in working with Ratna.