- Naseeruddin Shah plays a patient with Alzheimer's and dementia in Main Vaapas Aaunga
- Shah underwent a three-hour makeup process to appear older than his age
- The role required Shah to embody memory loss, causing emotional and physical strain
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and actor Sharvari are gearing up for the release of Main Vaapas Aaunga, but among the film's much-awaited performances, one name stands out, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah.
The film, which also stars Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, and Vedang Raina, sees Naseeruddin Shah take on a deeply demanding role, that of a patient battling Alzheimer's and dementia.
Speaking to NDTV, director Imtiaz Ali revealed just how physically and emotionally taxing the performance was for the 75-year-old legendary actor.
"One thing which was very challenging is the fact that Naseer, such a profound actor, had to be bedridden for almost the entire film," said Imtiaz.
According to the filmmaker, Shah underwent an intense transformation process before stepping in front of the camera. Playing a character older than his actual age meant hours in makeup and prosthetics.
"He would come and take three hours to get ready because he's playing older than his age," Imtiaz shared. "There were all of these things that would be stuck to his body because he's a patient, the ECG leads would be stuck to his chest, and his hair would have to be shaved off."
The physical preparation, however, was only one part of the challenge.
Since the character suffers from Alzheimer's and dementia, Shah had to embody a fragile state of memory, constantly moving between recollection and confusion. Imtiaz said the emotional immersion affected the actor during the shoot.
"It is very tough when you have to half remember and half forget," he said. "Because he's playing a patient of Alzheimer's and dementia, he was actually forgetting lines and forgetting which scene it was."
The director added that actors often absorb aspects of the characters they portray, especially when approaching performances with honesty and emotional commitment.
"When actors actually do a part, they start becoming like that part because there's no way to act other than actually taking that onto yourself," Imtiaz explained. "Naseer, of course, is a seasoned actor. So his memory was swimming all around when he was shooting."
The emotional toll occasionally made the actor irritable, something Imtiaz says he understood.
"That was a bit tough, and he was getting irritable. I knew that he would be, because when you do something honestly, then you invest emotionally in it."
For Sharvari, who shares a scene with the veteran actor, the experience became one of the film's most memorable moments. Her character, Jiya, appears through the prism of Shah's memories, making the performance layered and unconventional.
"To be able to just sit across from him and have somebody say 'action' means a great deal to me," she said.
With Main Vaapas Aaunga, audiences may not just witness another performance by Naseeruddin Shah, but a role shaped by extraordinary physical effort and emotional depth.
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