Mumbai: Motivational speaker, TEDx talker Major Mohommed Ali Shah just as he inspires and motivates the audience in his talk shows, he faces the Bollywood arc lights with equal ease and aplomb. He is more seen and heard in the role of a Defense and National Security expert on news television shows. For the first time he has taken his ardent fans by shock and surprise at his new celluloid Avatar!
Here in a freewheeling Interview Major Mohommed Ali Shah has explained how he prepared for the role in his upcoming film Yaara by Director Tigmanshu Dhulia which will be released on OTT platform on 30th July.
Q. Don’t actors crave recognition? How does a role where you are unrecognizable thrill you?
I recall an incident when we were watching a special screening of a film I had an important role in before the film released. The moment the close up of my face appeared on 70 MM I asked the person sitting next to me – “Yeh actor Kaun hai?” – He stared at the 70 MM closely looked at me and said pehle Kahin Dekha to nahi, koi name actor ayen hain said – Magar Inka kaam to Dekho wah acting Badi achi kar rahe hai yeh- En actor ka vada bright future hai, main likh ke de sakta hoon” – NOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT I EVER RECEIVED because firstly sitting right next to me he could not make out that it was me. I have never tried to peep from my character to show my face. I rather look and behave the character than have the urge to be recognised, I want to be recognised for my hard work than just a god blessed personality which I have only inherited from my parents.
Q. Tell us about your upcoming movie YAARA and what makes it so special to you? The same old “It’s different”?
Well, to begin with, I am a Motivational Speaker/ Defence and Strategic Expert on TV Panels in real life, but have also played the role of a “Sutradhar” in National award-winning filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming film “YAARA” starring Vidyut Jamwal, Shruti Hasan, Amit Sadh, Vijay Verma and Major Mohommed Ali Shah ( Self).
These two pictures were taken when I was preparing to go on release from the Army after completing my short service stint in the Army honourably and when I was preparing for my dream role in the film Yaara. Tigmanshu Dhulia had liked my presence on screen in Vishal Bhardwaj’s film “HAIDER” which won 5 National awards. Now I am preparing to see the feature film when it releases on 25th July on Zee 5!
As you can see in the two pictures, the movie shows the transformation of Ali, that is me, into the character of Jasjit Singh, a Sikh gentleman. I devoted more than two and a half years of my life completely towards intense preparation for this role and totally immersed myself into the character; as most people say, and as is visible in the pictures, became unrecognizable.
Q. Why is this your dream role?
I call it my dream role since this role gives me a chance to display my talent as an actor perfectly! I play the part of a character which is very contrary to my personality – I play this Sikh police officer who ages over two decades in the film. From a young new IPS officer to ageing on towards retirement as the Jt. Director CBI.
A lot of actors are more concerned about how they would look. I choose to rather look the part, the role than to look good.
When I was preparing for my meaty role in the film “Yaara”, I grew my hair for real over a long time. I learnt to tie a turban myself, gave up smoking completely, read the Shri Guru Granth Sahab Ji, and spent a month in the Golden Temple doing Seva.
Q. Please elaborate the intense preparation for your role in the movie Yaara?
What didn’t I do to get this role right – I guess actors from a hardcore Theatre background want to be a master craftsman of their trade.
1) I being a chain smoker gave up smoking at the drop of a hat, the day I signed the film since Sikhs don’t smoke.
2) I actually grew my hair and my beard for a couple of years and learnt to tie the 6 metres turban. In fact on a particular day during the shoot, there was an immediate requirement of an urgent shot and the dress dada wasn’t to be traced at that particular point for that moment only though he was always available otherwise luckily I took the initiative of learning to tie the turban and tied it myself quickly and was ready to take the shot.
3) I spent a month in the Golden Temple in Amritsar doing Seva – I Would broom the floor, clean the dirty utensils, serve food, make tea and much more! I learnt to speak Punjabi even though I was told there is no requirement of that. I completed reading the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (The English version).
4) I would rehearse and rehearse my lines and scenes obsessively.
So many amazing things to share, but I’m Not opening up much about the film and more since I leave it to you all to watch it.
Your special message to our readers?
Please pray for the film’s success for everyone. We worked extremely hard and gave it all that we had. Certainly, this film will find the much-deserved appreciation from audiences and critics alike and bring for me too, the much-awaited recognition for the undivided efforts I put into this role. So looking forward to great heights of success for the entire team of Yaara! And hope that one day I am known as a master craftsman of my trade…CHEERS!!!
MAJOR MOHAMMED ALI SHAH (veteran):
Major Mohommed Ali Shah is the most sought after International TEDx speaker who has given the highest no. of TEDx talks not only in India but in the world. Of late, he has been continuously working and delivering back to back motivational sessions on dealing with the Coronavirus situation to millions across the globe which has uplifted many people in their trying times!
As a motivator and a Speaker, he specialises in converting one’s negatives into positives, disadvantages into advantages, liabilities into assets, darkness into light, and weaknesses into strengths. He is also a political analyst, a Defence expert and a Defence analyst on many popular Indian News Channels.
He is also an alumnus of the prestigious IIM Calcutta and has done Theatre with Thespians such as Tom Alter and Naseeruddin Shah (who incidentally is his father’s younger brother). His father has served as the Deputy Chief of The Army Staff and also is the former Vice-Chancellor of The Aligarh Muslim University and is currently the Pro-Chancellor of the Prestigious USTM and has been a member of the board of Welhams Boys School and IIM Lucknow.
(P.S) None of these pictures is from the film’s shoot or from the sets – It is of the time I was preparing for the role and my amazing memories spent at the Golden temple.
