I regret doing The Blueberry Hunt: Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah doesn’t do films because of the parts he is offered. He signs movies that he feels “will be significant, as an actor is remembered for his films, not his roles.”

Naseeruddin Shah doesn’t do films because of the parts he is offered. He signs movies that he feels "will be significant, as an actor is remembered for his films, not his roles." And recently, he missed out on a film he had his heart set on. "I regret doing The Blueberry Hunt, because Shoaib Mansoor (director of Bol) asked me to act in it as the father… and I had to say no, because I was doing Blueberry Hunt. I can’t stop kicking myself," says Shah, before adding without hesitation, "It’s a piece of junk.

It should never have been made. Sure it looks interesting, but if you’ve seen the promo, don’t bother with the film. It’s the one film in my life I wish I hadn’t done." Known to do small roles to support indie films, the actor is currently still marvelling at how his scene in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, got him the amount of praise it did. "I’ve received more compliments for it than I have ever got for the rest of my career," he says, "I’m not joking. And there’s a lot of ‘me’ in it, as I went through something similar with Hiba (daughter from first marriage); I first met her when she was 13.

So, I could identify with that part. Normally, if I was offered a one scene role in a Hrithik Roshan starrer, I would kick the guy out of my house… but this was Zoya, I’m fond of her."

This December, thee actor will soon be seen in Milind Luthria’s The Dirty Picture playing an aging ’70s star. He has also just finished shooting for Kabeer Kaushik’s Maximum, where he plays a police officer.