No such thing as overacting or under-acting: Naseeruddin Shah

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says there is no such thing as over-acting or under-acting and acting largely depends on the form for which it is required.

"Under-playing and over-playing are faulty kind of terms and when I'm working with younger actors I make it a point to emphasize this that there is no such thing as over-acting or under-acting, there is truth and falseness. If you say over-acting, then Kathakali is the worst form of over-acting, or Kabuki, but that's not so.

"It is the kind of acting that is required for a particular form. For Hindi commercial cinema, a certain kind of acting is required, and this kind of film ('Waiting'), a different kind of acting is required," said Naseeruddin at the screening of "Waiting" to queries how he managed to "under-play" his characters.

While Naseeruddin is known for strong performances in content-oriented cinema, he has also acted in mainstream cinema and often played "loud" characters in films like "Tridev", or more recently in "The Dirty Picture" or "Welcome Back". He himself confessed, at the event, that there is a long list of such films.

In "Waiting" though, he is doing what he is known for, playing a calm and composed character despite the pain of waiting for his wife to come out of coma. He terms his character so well-written that he feels that the actor's job is almost over with the writing alone.

"I find myself much more comfortable in a subject like this, because I can't over-act all that well.. while there are some who do it well," he said.

Naseeruddin also urged viewers to support more films such as "Waiting" and look for more than entertainment in a film, to look for something "engrossing, stimulating".

"This film has been made under really difficult, straitened circumstances, and it is because of the backing of a courageous producer, and the vision of a director who desperately wanted to make it, that all of us got together and its been successful.

"This is the kind of movie that I feel particularly close to, because of the nature of its budget, nature of its subject, the nature of the way it is made," he said.

Directed by Anu Menon, "Waiting" also stars Kalki Koechlin and releases on May 27.