Naseeruddin Shah says older movie stars in India first dye their hair black, then apply whitener to look old

He singled out (male) actors such as Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan, Gajraj Rao, Gulshan Devaiah and Kay Kay Menon, and said that the common element with them all is that they emerged ‘from relatively obscurity’ and came from ‘middle-class homes’. “It’s terrifying to think of someone who overnight becomes a star,” he said.

He continued, “The reason why these guys are so good is because they have real life to draw from. The more you become famous, the richer you become, the more isolated you become, and you lose touch with life. And I suppose, that is the requirement of a star in India. You should not be real. There are grey-haired guys who will dye their hair, and then put whitener on it to look old.”

The veteran actor also mocked ‘immature’ movie stars for not being able to function without an entourage. In the past, the actor has said that the easiest way for an actor to get ‘corrupted’ is to become a star. “Then you start believing your own myth. You start believing what the press writes about you. That’s very dangerous,” Naseeruddin told PTI in 2018.

Naseeruddin Shah is currently promoting the second season of his ZEE5 series Taj, titled Reign of Revenge. The new season debuted last month. The first season, Divided by Blood, was released in March.