I play a grey character in 'Bandish Bandits': Naseeruddin Shah

There's no denying the fact that Naseeruddin Shah is one of the most accomplished and versatile actors in the Hindi film industry. An artist par excellence, he has carved a niche for himself with his powerful dialogue delivery, strong screen presence, outspoken nature and an impressive selection of roles. He has starred in quite a few well-received and sensitive movies, proving his mettle. 'Naseer Saab' will soon be seen in the Amazon Prime Video original Bandish Bandits, which has created a fair deal of buzz among fans.

During the virtual trailer launch of Bandish Bandits, Shah said that he agreed to be a part of the show as he wanted to collaborate with the talented team behind the series. He also revealed that his character has shades of grey and is not a 'white one'.

" I go by my instinct while deciding on whether to do a project. I did Bandish Bandits as mera dil chaha. My character is not a white one as he has shades of grey, which I liked a lot. I might not have said yes had the character been that of a sacrificing grandfather who dies in the end," he said.

Shah added that working on Bandish Bandits was an enriching experience for him as he got to learn a bit about classical music.

"I have never liked singing on-screen but crossed the barrier in Mirza Ghalib (with the help of Gulzar). After doing Bandish Bandits, I have ratti bhar (minuscule amount) more knowledge of classical music," he said.

Bandish Bandits features newcomers Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry in the lead and is an important release for them. During the event, they said they were 'nervous' about working with Shah, which did not go down too well with the Katha star. The veteran said that he does not consider it to be a compliment and added that he never felt nervous while working with his seniors.

Shah recently grabbed attention with the short film Half Full, proving that he has still got it. It remains to be seen whether Bandish Bandits proves to be another notable release for him.

The original is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video from August 4.