Whenever we think of the best veteran actors of India, one of the first names that comes to mind is Naseeruddin Shah. He is a leading figure in Indian parallel cinema, where his extraordinary performances have made him a fan favourite. Though the actor has, on several occasions, declared his dislike for commercial Bollywood films, he has acted in quite a few of them and garnered a lot of appreciation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay What makes him really interesting, though, is the fact that he is a very innovative and experimental individual. He started in arthouse cinema, then acted in commercial cinema. He has done television, hosted cricket shows and also acted in theatre. Not only that, he has also appeared in numerous international films, most notably in the Hollywood comic book adaptation, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where he played the role of Captain Nemo. Born on 20 July 1950 in Barabanki, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. , Naseeruddin Shah celebrated his 68th birthday on Friday last week. During his childhood, the actor was fascinated by films and cricket. As a child he loved classic westerns and war films. He was exposed to films like On the Waterfront, Citizen Kane, Zorro Rides Again, etc. In an interview with Cover Story, Shah explained that the lack of Hindi films in his youth was due to his school not showing Hindi films and his father's supervision of what they watched as children. Although there were actors in the Hindi film industry that he appreciated, such as Motilal, Balraj Sahni and Yakub, none of the Indian actors really inspired him. He was quite influenced by actors like Anthony Quinn, Paul Muni and Spencer Tracy. Shah has been very open about sharing a troubled relationship with his father, Aley Mohammed Shah. Like most parents, his father struggled to accept his son's poor academic performance. Their relationship worsened further when the 19-year-old Shah immersed himself in the world of theater at Aligarh Muslim University, instead of focusing on academics. However, gradually with time and the birth of his children, Shah gained a better understanding of his father. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In 2014, Naseeruddin Shah joined the long line of actors who have chronicled their lives. The veteran actor's autobiography, And Then One Day, sees the actor recount his life from childhood to the start of his acting career in Bollywood. The book ends with his marriage to the actress Ratna Pathak Shah and the return of his daughter (from his first marriage) to India. Walking down memory lane, Shah gives an account of his years at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Delhi's National School of Drama (NSD) and Pune's Film and Television Institute (FTII). The book also details some stormy love stories.