Legendary writer and poet Gulzar believes it was fate that led him to make his famous 1988 TV show ‘Mirza Ghalib’ with Naseeruddin Shah, who, while still a student, wrote to him saying he was the best
person for the role. Gulzar, who is known for his love of Ghalib, Urdu, and Bengali, said he had long wanted to make a screen project about the 19th-century poet and first thought of making a film with his friend and frequent collaborator, Sanjeev Kumar.
Speaking at the opening session of the 10th Jashn-e-Rekhta Festival, Gulzar shared how destiny brought him to Shah and television. ‘Sanjeev Kumar used to say, I don’t need to hear the script because I know you won’t waste my talent. But the producer changed his mind and it didn’t happen,’ Gulzar recalled at the session hosted by Divya Dutta. His friend and fellow poet Javed Akhtar was in the audience. The project was on hold for years until TV serials made it possible to tell Ghalib’s story over several hours, and Gulzar took the chance to explore it in multiple episodes.
Gulzar said he first noticed Shah’s acting in a diploma film at the Film and Television Institute of India and thought he had the depth needed for the role. However, when he suggested Shah’s name to the producer, the producer wanted someone ‘handsome.’ ‘I told him I need a good actor and he will do the role well. Many people objected to his casting. The producer didn’t agree, so I said I won’t do it,’ Gulzar said.
Things got more complicated when Shah asked for a fee that was very high for that time. ‘One day, I was in a meeting with the producer when Naseer came in. He told me, Gulzar sahab, when I was in college, I wrote you a letter saying Sanjeev Kumar can’t play Ghalib because Ghalib wasn’t fat. And I wrote that you should wait for me, I am coming to the industry. I told him I don’t have that letter. He said, I know, it must have been lost in the fan mail. But do you think if I’m told I can’t play the role, I’ll let anyone else do it? And he said, I won’t take a penny less than what I asked. I’ll do the role for that, otherwise I won’t let anyone else do it.’
Gulzar said the producer was upset but he was impressed by Shah’s attitude. ‘The producer, who we called Babuji, said, Gulzar sahab, did you see that. I told him, Yes, I saw it and I saw that this was Ghalib who just got up and left. This man has Ghalib’s attitude. This is him,’ he said.
Praising Shah’s versatility, Gulzar said the actor completely disappears into his characters. ‘I can name three of his films — Pestonjee, Sparsh, and Mirza Ghalib. I don’t see Naseeruddin Shah in these, I only see those three characters,’ he added.
