Nobody takes an actor's opinion seriously: Naseeruddin Shah

Eminent Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah today said stars should keep their opinions on social issues to themselves as nobody anyway takes them seriously. "Actors should connect (with people) only through their work, that's what I feel. Because there's nothing, which is more effective than that. I think nobody takes an actor's opinion that seriously," he told reporters here.

"Everybody will listen to it, even make fun, but (opinions) are not taken seriously. So they should keep their opinion to themselves." The "Ishqiya" star spoke at the launch of the Marathi version of his autobiography "And Then One Day".

Shah, 67, said he felt the need to launch the book in Marathi as he always felt loved by Maharashtrians. "I thought of releasing the book in Marathi because I always felt that there are many people in Marathi who appreciate my work. The kind of love I get and the kind of knowledge Maharashtrians have about my work, I don't get to see that anywhere else."

The book, originally written in English, has been translated in Marathi by Sai Paranjape. The "Waiting" actor said he is happy that Paranjape translated the book, which took him almost 12 years to pen down.

"It took me 12 years to write this book. Because I don't have the discipline of a writer, I used to not sit down and write everyday. I wrote it for entertainment purpose for myself. I never thought it would become a book. I just started writing to recollect things in my life...

"I believe if you're translating something, you need to be fluent in both the languages. Your writer should be good too. I am fortunate that I got a better writer than me to translate," Shah added.