My dad has set the standards too high: Imaad Shah

Hersquos 26 and barely eight films old However Imaad Shah speaks with a sort of maturity that lays more emphasis on craft than stardom Being the son of veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah is bound to create pressure but Imaad seems to know how to handle it Thrilled about his upcoming film The Reluctant Fundamentalist followed by Tasher Desh the youngster is balancing theatre and music along with cinema In a candid with SUNDAY MiD DAY he reveals howhellip Imaad Shah will be seen next in Mira Nairrsquos u00a0The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Qrsquos Tasher Desh Did you read Pakistani author Mohsin Hamidrsquos novel before you signed up for The Reluctant Fundamentalist Actually I read it twice Once when it launched in 2007 and later when director Mira Nair approached me for the film I was delighted to be part of the project so I went back to the pages to get a better feel of my character and the whole situation What was the greatest challenge about playing a Pakistani character in the movie Since Irsquom playing a Lahorebased guy named Samir I wanted to get under his skin The Punjabi spoken in Pakistan is quite different as compared to the Indian dialect and the dissimilarity can be noticed even in their Hindi and Urdu So my part also involved a fair amount of improvisation Come to think of it getting the the language right was the biggest challenge for me What sets Mira Nair apart from others directors Other than being a fabulous collaborator who lets her actors breathe she simply loves the regional flavours dialects and the energy mohallas have You can notice this in all her films As we werenrsquot shooting in Pakistan we had to turn Old Delhi into Lahore Thankfully Chandni Chowk and its nearby areas still have that preindependence charm However if it werenrsquot for Mirarsquos instincts and her penchant for details the whole setup would have seemed unconvincing How do you prioritise between music theatre and cinema When Irsquom working on something I give it my 100 per cent mdash be it theatre music or cinema When Irsquom in the middle of a shoot Irsquom totally consumed by the film Waking up too early and sleeping really late becomes a norm Similarly when Irsquom touring for our plays or my music band itrsquos the same I tend to lose sleep and all but I donrsquot complain because Irsquom doing what I always wanted to do and itrsquos more about focus than prioritisation How difficult is it to have a talented actor such as Naseeruddin Shah as your father My dad has set the standards way too high not only for me but also for other actors Itrsquos natural to find these standards difficult to beat Yes there is a level of pressure involved to emulate him as the industry tends to put me in a slot as Irsquom his son But things appear harsher from the outside Itrsquos far more normal He and I are friends first Hersquos proud of what Irsquom doing and thatrsquos what matters to me What role does Naseer saab play in the choice of your films He doesnrsquot interfere much in the choice of my films Hersquos not the kind who would go and launch his sons just for the heck of it Having said that we respect each otherrsquos opinion a lot He obviously wants me to make the right decisions But like I said hersquos not a pushy person and lets me enjoy my space Moreover one can only give onersquos best at what one is trying to accomplish Speaking of filmmaking is it true that yoursquore keen on directing Yes it is Irsquove made some short films earlier that have travelled to film festivals abroad but a feature film is an altogether different ball game As of now Irsquom patiently taking baby steps The rising power of indie cinema encourages me and Irsquom looking forward to contribute my bit Lastly tell us something about your character in the Bengali fantasy feature film Tasher Desh Itrsquos a Tagore play that is being adopted by Q Qaushiq Mukherjee of Gandu fame in Kolkata Tasher Desh means land of cards Itrsquos a mix of contemporary and classic and it creates a world where everybody is a part of a card game Diamonds Hearts Spadeshellip my character has a feminist touch and like others in the film he explores sexuality in his own way u00a0