Paresh Rawal:who served as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2019, and a veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah have long stood on opposite sides of the political spectrum. While Shah often criticized the ruling party and its policies, Rawal consistently expressed deep admiration for him as an actor. Summing up his respect for the past, Rawal said, “Even Naseeruddin Shah’s enemies admired him.In a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Rawal opened up about his admiration for Shah, his influence on his craft, and why their ideological differences never came in the way of mutual respect.The discussion started with Rawal reprising his role as a visually impaired man in ‘Aankhen’. He revealed that he watched Shah’s performance in ‘Sparsh’ over and over again while preparing for the film.“I watched Sparsh many times while doing Aankhen. I have never seen any actor portray a blind man as beautifully as Naseeruddin Shah did in Indian cinema. There is a sparkle in the eyes of a blind man. This may sound like an oxymoron, but what I mean is that his expressions are perfect. He breaks away from the stereotypes and caricatures created around such characters.”Talking about their relationship, Rawal made it clear that although they were not close friends in the traditional sense, he always held Shah in the highest regard. “We’re not the kind of friends who visit each other’s houses. We talk on the phone sometimes. I can’t be casual around him because I have a lot of respect for him. He’s not the kind of person who opens up about everything, and he makes that clear. Apart from being an amazing actor, he’s also a good person.“Rawal also acknowledged that the two had sharp differences in political beliefs but said the differences never affected their relationship. “Maybe we have different political ideologies, but we never argue about them. I once said in an interview that if Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan raises concerns, I listen to them. I will not reject what they say directly. I will try to understand their point of view. If I feel they are wrong, I will tell them.”Recalling the first time he saw Shah and the late Om Puri, Rawal said he was captivated by their presence even before he saw their work.“Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri are not conventional good-looking heroes. A friend from IFTDA, Subhash Dangay, used to tell me about this actor from NSD (National School of Drama). I had never seen their work before, but I was mesmerized. They have something magnetic about them. Once you see Naseeruddin Shah, you cannot take your eyes off him. The same is true of Om Puri.”He added that they later developed an acquaintance while working in the theater.“I used to be hypnotized by him. I always tried to understand what made him so attractive.”Rawal went on to recall that his first chance to work with Shah came in ‘Lorie’. “The first film we worked on together was Lorie. It starred Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Swaroop Sampat. My role is very small. Director Vijay Talwar knows that I will happily do even a small part if it means working with Naseeruddin Shah. That’s when I officially met him. I had a few scenes with him and really enjoyed the experience.”For Rawal, Shah’s appreciation has always been more important than industry awards. “I never sought validation through awards. The moment the director said ‘cut’, I kept going. But when Naseeruddin Shah called me after watching Mumbai Meri Jaan and said, ‘Jiyo yaar jiyo, kya kaam kiya hai,’ that was the biggest award of my life.”Rawal also defended Shah in the criticism he faced after expressing concerns in 2018 about the safety of his children in India.“People adore Naseeruddin Shah. Even his enemies admire him. He has that quality. Sometimes people end up saying certain things. Don’t judge him for a statement. That is unfair. It is not our culture to target someone’s children for what they say. You are performing at Prithvi Theatre. If someone wants to hurt you, they can. But that’s not how our society works.”Rawal was referring to comments Shah made in a conversation on Karwaan-e-Mohabbat in 2018, where the actor talked about choosing not to raise his children with a religious identity.“I was given a religious education… But Ratna: [Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin’s wife] did not get any religious education. We choose not to give our children a religious education. That’s why I fear for my children… because if a mob gathers around them and asks them if you are Hindu or Muslim, they will not have an answer. They have no religion,” he said.Earlier, in an interview with ‘The Lallantop’, Ratna Pathak Shah explained why she and her husband continue to share a warm relationship with colleagues like Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal despite having different political views.“I was born in a family where my father was from RSS background and my mother was a Communist. There were always debates and arguments at home, but we all lived happily together. Disagreeing with someone’s opinion does not mean disliking the person. This idea that anyone who disagrees with you should be canceled is very new. This is not our culture.”He added: “They make Indians fight each other like children in a school playground, the way bullies treat weaker children. Do we want to be like that? No.