Naseeruddin Shah Clarifies Past Criticism of Farhan Akhtar's Acting in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'

In November 2025, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah addressed his past remarks about Farhan Akhtar's performance in the 2013 biographical film 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'. Shah stated that his previous comments had been exaggerated by the media, and that Akhtar was right to feel that way.

Akhtar had earlier expressed his disappointment with Shah's statements, describing them as "distasteful." However, the actor also reflected on their longstanding professional relationship, noting that Shah had known him since he was a child and that they had worked together on the 2011 film 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'.

Shah's initial critique of Akhtar's acting in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' was made public in 2013. At the time, he had said, "I don't care about Farhan Akhtar, and I don't watch his films. I liked his first film, 'Dil Chahta Hai'. He's a tremendous person and has so many facets to him. Tomorrow I won't be surprised if I hear that he cooked a 10-course meal to perfection. He sings, acts, produces films and writes. I think it's great he's doing whatever he can. I'm not a great fan of his acting or his films. But I admire him."

In a subsequent interview, Shah had offered further criticism, stating, "It's a completely fake film. Farhan has no doubt worked very hard, but building up muscles and growing your hair is not exactly working hard on your acting. At least he should have tried to look like Milkha."

However, in the recent 2025 interview, Shah acknowledged that his original comments had been exaggerated, and he encouraged readers to consider the full context of his statements.