Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah underwent an emotionally and physically demanding transformation for Imtiaz Ali’s upcoming film Main Vaapas Aaunga. The actor, who plays a bedridden patient suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, was so deeply immersed in the role that it began affecting him during the shoot. The film also stars Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari Wagh, and Vedang Raina in pivotal roles.
‘He had to stay bedridden for almost the entire film’
Speaking to NDTV, Imtiaz Ali shared that one of the toughest parts of the role was the fact that Shah had to remain bedridden through most of the film.“One thing which was very challenging is the fact that Naseer, such a profound actor, had to be bedridden for almost the entire film,” the filmmaker said.Imtiaz further revealed that Shah spent nearly three hours every day getting into character because he was portraying someone much older than his real age.“He would come and take three hours to get ready because he’s playing older than his age,” he shared. “There were all of these things that would be stuck to his body because he’s a patient — the ECG leads would be stuck to his chest, and his hair would have to be shaved off.”
‘He was actually forgetting lines’
According to Imtiaz, the emotional depth of the character slowly started affecting Shah mentally during filming.“It is very tough when you have to half remember and half forget,” the director explained. “Because he’s playing a patient of Alzheimer’s and dementia, he was actually forgetting lines and forgetting which scene it was.”The filmmaker said actors often internalise the emotional realities of the characters they portray, especially when they approach their performances honestly.“When actors actually do a part, they start becoming like that part because there’s no way to act other than actually taking that onto yourself,” Imtiaz said. “Naseer, of course, is a seasoned actor. So his memory was swimming all around when he was shooting.”
‘He was getting irritable’
Imtiaz also admitted that the emotional strain of the role occasionally made the actor irritable on set, something he empathised with as a director.“That was a bit tough, and he was getting irritable. I knew that he would be, because when you do something honestly, then you invest emotionally in it,” he said.