Anupam Kher is a clown, need not be taken seriously: Naseeruddin Shah

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Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah on Wednesday lashed out at Anupam Kher for his views. Shah was speaking to The Wire about the ongoing anti-CAA-NRC-NPR protests taking place across the country. "I am not on Twitter. These people, the Twitterati, and I really wish they would make up their minds in what they believe in. Someone like Anupam Kher has been very vocal. I don't think he needs to be taken seriously. He's a clown. Any number of his contemporaries from NFD and FTII can attest to his sycophantic nature. It's in his blood, he can't help it," Shah said in the interview. 

"The others who are opposing it should really decide about what they want to say and don't remind us of our responsibilities, we know our responsibilities," the veteran actor added. 

In November, 2019, Naseeruddin Shah was among the 100 prominent Muslim citizens from the country who opposed the decision by some litigants to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's Ayodhya verdict, saying that keeping the dispute alive will harm the community. 

Further, Naseeruddin Shah said that he is not anxious but angry about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act since he cannot produce a birth certificate like many other Indians. He asked why 70 years of living here is not proof enough of him being a citizen. The actor, who stressed that he was speaking as a concerned citizen and not a Muslim, said he has contributed to the country in the social and educational spheres and five generations of his family are buried in this land.

Shah, one of Hindi cinema's best known actors, joins others from the industry such as Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj and Richa Chadha to speak on the intense debate over the CAA.

"I don’t have a birth certificate. I cannot produce one. Does that mean we are all going to be excluded? I do not need any reassurances that Muslims don’t need to worry. I am not worried," Shah said.