Naseeruddin Shah, who stars in Dev Anand’s next film Chargesheet, can’t stop eulogising the evergreen star. “He was the first actor whose name was always at the tip of my tongue throughout my childhood. So when the same Dev Anand called me for his latest film Chargesheet, it was indeed a very memorable moment in my life. To hear Dev saab’s voice on the wire, the very voice that I have heard and imitated so often is a huge honour. I feel privileged to be involved in his work and to be involved in his life. To sit next to him and to be able to touch him is the greatest achievement of my life,” says a visibly emotional Naseer.
The actor, who has earlier worked with Dev Anand in Swami Dada (1982), admires how the latter’s energy levels have not dipped one bit. Naseer says, “I had expected him to have turned inward and become more contemplative. But Dev saab’s energy, to my surprise, seems to be growing.” Unlike other actors, Naseer wasn’t the least bit nervous while working with Dev. “I never understand actors who get nervous when they are performing with an actor whom they admire. To be in the same frame as Dev saab is pure joy because he chose you and therefore (it is implicit) he trusts you,” he says.