Among the many talented gems that Indian Theatre has gifted us, Naseeruddin Shah ranks right up there on the top. He is one of the most finest actors in India and a prominent stage actor.
Naseeruddin Shah is an alumnus of the National Drama School. Before stepping into mainstream cinema with the movie Hum Paanch in 1980, Shah had already done a number of films. But along with that he was also actively involved in theatre.
In fact, in 1977 Naseeruddin Shah along with fellow theatre actors Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani started a theatre group known as Motley Productions or Motley which is still active today. The theatre group had their first play staged at the iconic Prithvi Theatre two years later which was Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
Since then a lot of television and theatre personalities have been a part of the Motley Theatre. It has staged all kinds of plays including plays written by William Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, among others.
Talking about the Shah family, Shah’s wife, actress Ratna Pathak-Shah and his three children, Heeba, Imaad and Vivaan, are all a part of the Bollywood as well as theatre circuit. They are also actively involved with Motley Theatre Group.
Naseeruddin Shah has also donned the director’s hat many times to direct plays. His children act while wife Ratna Pathak Shah is an all-rounder keeping check on costumes, lights, sets and when there’s a role that’s suitable for her, she acts.
Naseeruddin Shah and his family are involved in every bit of theatre. They are a through and through theatre family who work together as a team.
Safe to say, there’s no dearth of talent in the Shah family and theatre forms a vital part of it!
