Nadir Shah has always had his fingers in many pies. He burst into the scene as a mimicry artist but went on to earn the tag of an actor, singer, composer and a television host. Now, two decades later, he will don the hat of a director through his debut flick ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ that will go on the floors soon.
As expected, his debut outing will be a fun-filled drama that will have Prithviraj, Indrajith and Jayasurya playing the lead roles. “No surprises here. I have a certain image as a comedian, so I decided to stick to that genre in my debut venture,” says Nadir Shah. And, before one gets any ideas, Nadir Shah clarifies: “My movie has nothing to do with the Hindi movie by the same name. The similarity begins and ends with the name. Though I have seen the Bachchan-starrer many times, my movie has nothing to do with it,” says the actor-turned-director.
Direction, for him, was not something that popped up one fine morning, says Nadir Shah. “All my friends, including Dileep, have always pushed me into this. Even producers like Kireedam Unni were willing to join hands. But, I wasn’t really confident of helming something as big as a movie. Then, after all there should be a good and convincing story. I was waiting for something like this,” says Nadir Shah.
The story of ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ is being penned by Bibin George and Vishnu Unni Krishnan. “Many approached me with stories. They all were dubbed ‘the perfect role for Dileep’. That’s when Bibin and Vishnu came to me with this subject. They told me initially that this was not meant for Dileep. I found the narration interesting and decided to take that up,” says Nadir Shah.
But, is it not ironic that Dileep, his long-time friend and confidante, was not included in his debut venture?
“Contrary to reports, all is well between us. I discuss with him everything. He too is eagerly awaiting my project,” says Nadir Shah.
Thanks to his experience and friends in the industry, Nadir Shah isn’t a bundle of nerves as he embarks on the most crucial phase of his career. “I am only scared of over expectations. Too much hype has already been attached to the project and I don’t want all the excess baggage,” he says.
Though he has acted in many movies, Nadir Shah will not act or sing in ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’. “The music of the movie will be composed by Deepak Dev. We were friends even before both of us came to movies,” says Nadir Shah.
For someone who has been in the industry for over two decades, Nadir Shah is well aware of the sea of changes that the Malayalam movies underwent.
“So much have changed, some for good and some for bad. But, my pattern of movie making will be a fusion of old and new school of film making. Though it is a comedy, there is drama and other elements,” says Nadir Shah.
His long stint tackling humour has made Nadir Shah aware of how humour has evolved and changed over the years. “Actually, making a comedy flick is sort of a gamble now, a risky business. Before the age of WhatsApp and Facebook, any joke would remain fresh for months, even years. We could use it in movies and audio cassettes and take it to the audience. But, today a joke goes viral in matter of seconds. So, humour today has less shelf life,” says Nadir Shah.