If now Naseeruddin Shah was offered the role of Pakistani Ghazal singer Gulfam Hassan in John Matthew Mathan Sarfarosh , which turns 24 on April 30, he would in all likelihood say no.
Playing a Pakistani agent moonlighting, or shall we say croonlighting, in India as a Ghazal singer in a film about cross border terrorism, is not quite the politically correct thing to do. In the present day scenario it is taking to professional suicide.
Even back then the character was highly controversial . Director John Matthew Mathan did not reveal Naseeruddin Shah’s character’s true identity to anyone in the film except Aamir Khan and Naseer.
Naseer and Aamir did not see eye to eye during the film’s making . Later in 2015 when Aamir has spoken about feeling insecure in India for his family’s sake, Naseer had spoken against Aamir saying, “For Aamir to say this, it carries weight but I am not contemplating going anywhere. Anyone trying to drive me out of my home, that is India, will have one hell of a fight on his hands.”
