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Newest Khan in town is blind but is a man of many talents

Updated on: 29 July,2009 04:49 PM IST  | 
Amul Sharma |

Nasser Khan is the leading man of Shadow. He is also the film's writer and producer. He is also blind. He was born with a cataract condition and has been operated upon several times.

Newest Khan in town is blind but is a man of many talents

Nasser Khan is the leading man of Shadow. He is also the film's writer and producer. He is also blind. He was born with a cataract condition and has been operated upon several times. He has about 15 to 20 percent eyesight in his right eye but that hasn't stopped Nasser from following his heart.

A man of many interests, Naseer he formed his first self-owned leather-tanning business in 1995. He has helped form many computer education centres in Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000. He is the first blind man to pass all four certifications of Micro-soft.



He also ventured into real estate and the insurance sector. He hasn't allowed his disability to stop him from swimming, riding a bike or driving a car (he has a license), and playing musical instruments (harmonium, piano and electronic synthesizer. He's also an avid chess player. Over to the newest Khan in town....
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Do you have any formal training in acting?
No, I have no training in acting, which was a big mistake I think. Because last year on my first day at shoot (December 12) in Bangkok, we started to shoot at around 9 in the morning and till half past 10 in the night, none of my shots were okayed. I felt like the whole world was coming down on me. I wanted to prove to everyone on the sets as well as to myself that I could perform. Then I started to come on the sets even when not required, just to talk to the other actors and listen to them perform and that's how I bettered myself. On December 23, I shot for the scenes from my first day and this time in the 12-hour shift, I finished shooting for three important scenes without a single retake!


Actors constantly look in the mirror but it's ironical that you can't see...
Yes, but I don't like to get discouraged by things I can't do, I simply try to find ways to overcome things and perform to my fullest ability.u00a0


Do you think you will get accepted?
I didn't make this film to be accepted. I never wanted to be a star. I made this movie with only one message for the people. Ifu00a0 I, as a handicap, can perform, act, dance and jump out of burning cars, then normal, healthy people should never lose hope. I want everyone to feel motivated after seeing my film and try to excel in whatever field they are in.


How did you manage to shoot and remember lines?
Someone would read the dialogue out aloud for me and my director would shout out the physical movements required.

You performed some dangerous stunts in the film. How?
When I was writing the film, I wanted my character to be able to do what any normal actor could. So I kept writing all these dangerous stunts, which I thought I would be able to do. I eventually did it but it was a very scary experience. Every time I had to do a stunt, I'd wait for the day to end.



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How did the idea of Shadow happen?
Last year, I came to Mumbai with the script and started to get the right team on board to help me make this film. Filmmaking is a team effort and I needed people who were on the same page as me. Rohit Nayyar has directed three films prior to this and I liked his honestly and dedication and I was confident that he would be able to get me to perform. Once Rohit was locked things started to fall in place and we started the film.

Did you always want to be an actor?
About four years back, I went to Orrisa on a business trip.u00a0 I met old friends who were shooting a local film there. On the sets, I heard actors delivering lines and discussing scenes etc. I developed the passion for acting and decided to make a film and act in it.

Will you make more movies?u00a0u00a0u00a0
Because of Shadow, I also started my own music company and distribution firm. I am looked upon as a corporate. I have already started to work on two movies, which are in the pipeline. But I am waiting for the public verdict on my acting and also on Shadow. If the aam janta like what I have done in the film, then surely I will act in my other projects.

How did Salman Khan react to you when you met him?
Very few people in the industry have been nice and welcoming. Salman Bhai is one of them. I met him long back and he was very impressed with me and told me if I needed him for anything, he would be there. He called to check up on me a few days back and I asked him if he could like to come for the music launch and he said he would be delighted to attend. He will be at the music launch later today.u00a0

Censors have objected to the lyrics of your song. Comment.
Yeah, they have made me take out the words Sharab and Whiskey from one of my songs. But it's funny because they can allow movies with crude dialogues and skin show because established producers are backing those films. But when a young, new producer comes along, they bully him. In this industry, no one respects a small producer and that has been proved to me many times during the making of Shadow.u00a0

Are you single?
No. I am very happily married for a year and a half now and have a nine-month-old daughter.

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