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And Then One Day: A Memoir (2014)

by Naseeruddin Shah(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0670087645 (ISBN13: 9780670087648)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Hamish Hamilton

review 1: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this candid autobiography of my favourite actor. Nishaant and Manthan were movies that had an everlasting impact on me, and right up to Ishquiya I have enjoyed and admired Mr Shah's acting skills. He is 'different' as an actor, but the book confirms that he is truly 'different' as a human being too. His descriptions of his childhood, family issues, his troubled relationship with his father, are elaborate and interesting. He was born in Barabanki, a small town near Lucknow, and had strong roots in Sardana, another small town near Meerut, both in UP. He went to a boarding school in Nainital (of which he does not have very pleasant memories- he had to be withdrawn in class 9) also spent a few years in Ajmer. He completed his formal studies in Alig... morearh Muslim University, and subsequently trained at the NSD and FTII for theatre and films respectively.Mr Shah's struggles in the initial part of his career, when he was battling his westernized but middle class family (read father!) as well as trying to figure out his way through life, make for riveting reading. His admiration for theatre, which remains his first love, comes through clearly and repeatedly. His impulsive first marriage at the age of 19 with a woman 14 years his senior, that too in the conservative town of Aligarh, illustrates his independent streak and scant regard for conventions and traditions. His description of his first marriage and relationship is brutally frank, and he does not hesitate to acknowledge his insensitivity following the birth of his daughter. He has little admiration for mainstream Hindi cinema, and makes no bones about it. He has a few kind words for the acting prowess of Dilip Kumar ( in whose house he stayed for few days during his first, unsuccessful sojourn in Bombay, courtesy a relative!!), Balraj Sahni, and Amitabh Bachhan, Pran, Mahmood and Yakub, but this is limited to specific roles or periods, and he considers none of them inspiring. He ridicules movies like Sholay , and feels that almost all mainstream Bollywood movies are poor remakes of Hollywood movies.Throughout his school and college days spent in small towns of Northern India, he watched every conceivable film, but always enjoyed Hollywood movies far more than Hindi ones. His academic performance ranged from indifferent to miserable, with the solitary exception of English literature, in which he excelled consistently. His other fondness was for sports- cricket and tennis. His love for the language reflects in his easy, elegant and often humorous prose. Occasionally , however, his language becomes convoluted and sentences become long winded, at least to an ordinary reader like me. His days at the NSD, Delhi were exciting, challenging and stimulating. His interaction with teachers and colleagues are described in detail. His stint at the FTII Pune was ridden with controversy, as he got involved in a massive strike which contributed to the ultimate demise of the institution. In these institutions he came in touch with his contemporaries, some of whom, like Om Puri, he truly admired for their talent and devotion. He considers himself totally indisciplined, moody and arrogant as compared to Puri- who apparently was more disciplined and gentle. Yet both became the best actors of their generation. Throughout his life, he continues to struggle with himself , tormented by what constitutes the best style of acting, and discusses these aspects in detail. Shah is forthcoming about his marijuana and LSD experiments. He is unabashedly honest about his 'ordinary' looks, which are not typically 'Bollywood' handsome. He describes his not inconsiderable, but often disastrous, mainstream Bollywood experiments with honesty and humour.A refreshingly honest, readable book from one of the greatest actors of our times.
review 2: This is a wry storyteller's story. A reluctant conversationalist. Someone who keeps observing himself. Not without a fair bit of amusement. (At some point he must have been really tough on himself, but now he has sort of made peace with the blunderbuss that he is and has to live with.)Why did I like this book?Well apart from the fact that the writing was soufflé light, it felt like being a listener to an avuncular NS re-counting his childhood and student days.In fact, yes, the strongest impression one is left with is that of NS as a student - in UA, in Ajmer, in Aligarh, in Delhi, in Pune, in Poland, in Benegal's Productions, in hindi potboilers and finally in Theatre.That and his extremely difficult relationship with his father.I wonder, if he ever feels that it is this mutual antipathy that they shared that helped him stay motivated about pursuing a career in theatre and cinema. Had his dad ever slackened a bit, I suspect, he would have not persevered as much as he did.Again, why did I like this book?Because, NS inspite of being THE NS, it felt he was still trying to make sense of acting as a craft and that his legendary arrogance is more of disgruntlement and unease with the fact that, there are many fundamental questions about his craft that still eludes him. His genuine regard for the work of his contemporaries like Om Puri, Azmi and others would almost make one forget that the first person voice expatiating inside one's head, on so and so's work, is actually that of THE Naseeruddin Shah's.About acting, he almost says it at some point that, it is easier to know what this craft is NOT, than to figure out what it is.Reading about his years in NSD, in FTII and later as a professional actor, one is left with this feeling that all throughout, he kept trying to 'crack the code', unravel the mechanics of his craft. Because going by instinct and winging it (something that came easily to him)to deliver a convincing performance that the world would gush over, is satisfying only for so long. Knowing why one is doing what one is doing, and more importantly working systematically at the many pieces of one's craft - movement, pronunciation, diction, casting, carriage, etc. is far more giving, more satisfying, and prolongs one's interest is one's work.But even then. Even then. One sort of gets this idea from NS that there is only so much that one will ever 'know'. That there will continue to be ever so many frustrating things that will niggle one endlessly and there will be nothing to do about them, except live with them and live them out.And that is why I liked the book so much.Because it is honest. About how things are in life. There are no fade-outs or open-ended endings, left to interpretations in life. Life is to be lived out. The pleasant parts and the unpleasant parts as well. There is simply no other way of getting around things and accepting this basic fact is perhaps the sanest recourse. We need more people telling us this basic truth. less

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