The controversy surrounding Naseeruddin Shah calling yesteryear’s superstar Rajesh Khanna a ‘poor actor’ has far from subsided. After being lashed out by Twinkle Khanna, Javed Akhtar, and Akshay Kumar, Naseeruddin still stands strong on his words.
Recently, at an event at Liberty Cinema,Naseeruddin Shah refused to back down from his statements and implored the audience to correct him if he was wrong.
“The film industry needed a new icon and Rajesh Khanna filled that role. The fact is the industry created him, used him and cast him away when he was no longer a money-minting machine.”
Naseeruddin Shah said that mediocrity ruled the charts in the 70’s, be it music, story, acting, or directing. He said that there were no other superstars except Rajesh Khanna, and the likes of Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, and their contemporaries stood no chance in front of his stardom. He further went on to say that had Khanna been more on his guard, he could’ve prevented been used by the industry.
Shah also made an excellent observation that all of the people who had spoken out against his comments did not say that he was wrong, or refute him in any way.
“What respect did the film industry have for Rajesh Khanna when he was alive is my question. He had thousands of people outside his bungalow. Does that make him a great actor?”
He also spoke on Khanna’s acclaimed performances in movies like Anand and Aradhana and said that although he loved those, he doubted if there were any other better movies that Khanna did. Speaking on his thoughts about his statement, he said,
His parting thoughts about Rajesh Khanna and his family were something like this.
“I apologized to his family because I can understand their feelings. I have not apologized to anybody else nor have I withdrawn that statement.”
The controversy has still been kept alive, and it is up to the industry now to see if Naseeruddin Shah is speaking the truth, or lambast him for being blunt.
News source: Pinkvilla