Hema Malini once called my acting bogus but said I looked like Dharmendra: Naseer Abdullah

Hema Malini: Naseer Abdullah, a well known Bollywood actor, began his career as a model before moving into acting. The audience remembers him for his role as Prithvi in Mitr My Friend, which was directed by Revathi. He worked as location manager in Gandhi prior to entering the film industry. He then rose to fame as a cast member of the popular play Mischief Mania, which was directed by Pearl Padamsee.
Later on, he appeared in supporting roles in films like Main Hoon Na, Gandhi to Hitler, Page 3, Kucchh Meetha Ho Jaye, and Om Shanti Om. Renowned filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar, Milan Luthria, and Farah Khan, among others, have directed these films.

While he has acted in multiple Bollywood films and received acclaim from critics for his performances, his most recent roles have been in Bachchhan Paandey, where he portrayed the director of Myra, and Majaz A Life in Poetry, where he played poet Ali Sardar Jafri.

Besides this, he is currently hosting the Indian Achievers Award at the India International Centre. Abdullah took time off from his busy schedule to speak to Patriot.

Excerpts from the interview: 

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What kind of roles have you played in Bollywood films and with which actors? 

In the last two-and-a-half years, I worked with actors Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon in Bachchhan Paandey, which is directed by Farhad Samji and produced by Sajid Nadiawala.

Besides working in feature films, I also acted for Murder In Agonda. The film is shot in Goa, and in it I play father to actor Lara Dutta and Pratik Babbar. Actress Divya Seth played my wife in Murder in Agonda. This was quite a funny film and I played the role of a funny guy.

How do you like working with Farah Khan and Farhad Samji? 

Working with Farah Khan, as film director of Main Hoon Na, was a lot of fun. She is very easy going, and includes dance in her films. Farhad Samji was also great to work with. Tell us about your experience in Dil Aashna Hai Dil Aashna Hai is Shah Rukh Khan’s as well as my first film. It’s a coincidence that it has a big star cast.

I played the role of a Goanese Chef, Peter Fernandez, and my job was to recruit young boys and train them to become chefs. Dil Aashna Hai is a remake of Lace, an American television miniseries.

Can you name some of your favourite directors in Bollywood? 

My favourite film director is Anurag Kashyap. Among others are Revathi, the south Indian film director, Madhur Bhandarkar, who is famous for hit films like Chandani Baar, Traffic Signal and Page 3. All his films have got tremendous response from the audiences and he has won five National Awards. Hema Malini is also one of my favourite directors.

Which films and roles did you like the most? 

I liked my role in Mitr, My Friend by Revathi, also the roles I played in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, Madhur Bhandarkar’s films like Page 3, Traffic Signal and Chandni Baar. Apart from these, I liked watching Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om and Jail among others.

How was the experience of meeting Hema Malini? 

Hema Malini is straight forward and a wonderful woman. She is very strong. She once told me that my acting is bogus. On the other hand, she gave me a compliment saying that I look like Dharmendraji. When I met her for the first time, I was quite nervous because I was quite young at that time, having no experience.

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Tell us about your experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan? 

Samar Khan, the director, wanted me to film a sequence with an injured arm that showed a lot of blood while I was working with Shah Rukh Khan in Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye. Shah Rukh told Samar, “Naseer is such a sweet guy; why do you want to shoot this scene with a bullet in his arm?” Shah Rukh later revealed that the director originally intended to film a scene near my eyebrows, but they ultimately chose to shoot my arm instead. I was amazed at the filmmaker’s use of special effects to depict blood in my arm. Even though I had a very little part in Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye, I will never forget that incident.

Any memories of Delhi? 

As a teenager and a young guy, I used to enjoy plucking jamuns from the trees at India Gate and then enjoy boating at the Boat Club. I used to go to Chor Bazaar which is now called Kabaadi Bazaar. One can get all kinds of used items such as old watches, spare parts and old cameras among other things. Visiting Lodhi Road was fun. I still recall visiting the chaatwala close to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at Shah Jahan Road. He is the best.