Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah offered his thoughts on death in a recent interview with the Indian Express, reflecting on the deaths of his friends, notably actor Irfan Khan. Shah said that two years before his death from cancer in April 2020, the late actor was aware that his days were few, and that he handled the news with grace.
“That was a unique thing because Irfan Khan knew for approximately two years that it was going to happen,” Naseeruddin Shah said of Khan’s death while speaking about his Maqbool co-star. I chatted with him on the phone several times, even while he was in a London hospital. It was incredible, and the way he handled it was a true lesson.”
“I am observing death approaching me,” he continued, “and how many people get that opportunity?” Being able to see the grim reaper approaching you and almost inviting him’. It was, without a doubt, a devastating defeat. However, it was not in my possession. It was simply your body’s mechanics failing. You can’t do anything about it because you don’t have any control over it.”
Shah mentioned that he does not let ideas of death or fear of it dominate too much of his time when reflecting on his own beliefs on mortality. “Obsessing about death, in my opinion, is unhealthy. That is not something I do. I’ve lost several close relatives, including my family and parents. Also, several great friends died in shocking ways, especially the unexpected ones — the way Om [Puri] died, the way Farooq [Shaikh] died. But obsessing over it won’t help.”
“I believe that death is the most unimportant portion of life, and ironically, it is also the most unavoidable,” he continued. I don’t think about it much. I’ll leave when I have to. I want to be as attentive and alive as possible for as long as I’m here. When I’m gone, I don’t want my friends to be mourning my absence; instead, I want them to be rejoicing, smiling, and reminiscing about the things I did. I’d prefer that they remember me for the life I lived rather than how I died.”
