Paresh Rawalwho served as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2019, and a former actor. Naseeruddin Shah for a long time they have been standing on opposite sides of politics. Although Shah often criticized the ruling party and its policies, Rawal always praised him as an actor. Summarizing his past honors, Rawal said, “Even Naseeruddin Shah’s enemies admire him. There is something that doesn’t let you take your eyes off him.”In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, Rawal spoke about his admiration for Shah, the influence he had on his career, and why their differences of opinion never came to mutual respect.Discussion started when Rawal revisited his role as a blind man in ‘Aankhen’. He revealed that he repeatedly watched Shah’s performance in ‘Sparsh’ while preparing for the film.“I watched Sparsh several times when he was making Aankhen. I have never seen any actor portray a blind man as beautifully as Naseeruddin Shah in an Indian movie. There is a sparkle in the face of a blind man. It may sound like an oxymoron, but what I mean is that his looks were perfect. He was different from the people who made him.”Regarding their relationship, Rawal explained that although they are not traditionally close friends, they have always respected Shah. “We are not the type of friends who visit each other at home. We talk on the phone sometimes. I can’t be casual around him because I respect him so much. He is not the type of person who is open to everyone, and it is very obvious. Besides being a fun actor, he is also an amazing person.“Rawal also admitted that the two differed greatly in political beliefs, but said that these differences did not affect their relationship. “We may have different political views, but we have never started arguing with each other. I once said in an interview that if Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan it brings anxiety, I feel. I can’t deny what he says publicly. I will try to understand their point of view. If I see that they are wrong, I will tell them.”Recalling the first time he saw Shah and the late Om Puri, Rawal said he was impressed by their presence even before seeing their work.“Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri were not good-looking heroes. My friend from IFTDA, Subhash Dangay, used to tell me about this actor from NSD (National School of Drama). I was intrigued, and one day he took me to where Naseer lived. That evening I saw Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri standing in the parking lot. At the time I had never seen their work, but I was excited. They had something magnetic about them. When you see Naseeruddin Shah, you cannot take your eyes off him. It was the same with Om Puri.”He said that their acquaintance later began when he worked in the theater.“I used to be obsessed with him. I always tried to understand what made him so attractive.”Rawal went on to recall that his first chance to work with Shah came in ‘Lorie’. “The first film we worked on together was Lorie. It starred Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Swaroop Sampath. I had a very small part. Director Vijay Talwar knows that I will happily do even a small role if it means working with Naseeruddin Shah. That’s when I officially met him. I had several experiences with him and I really enjoyed them. “For Rawal, Shah’s appreciation has always been more important than corporate awards. “I never looked for approval through awards. When the director said ‘cut’, I went anyway. But when Naseeruddin Shah called me after watching Mumbai Meri Jaan and said, ‘Jiyo yaar jiyo, kya kaam kiya hai,’ that was the biggest award of my life.”Rawal also defended Shah over the criticism he faced after he expressed his concerns in 2018 about the safety of his children in India.“People love Naseeruddin Shah. Even his enemies admire him. He has this character. Sometimes people can say certain things. Don’t judge him with one word. It’s unfair. It’s not our culture to target someone’s children for what he said. You sing at Prithvi Theatre. If someone really wanted to hurt you, they would. But that’s not how our team works. “Rawal was referring to Shah’s comments during an interview with Karwaan-e-Mohabbat in 2018, where the actor spoke about choosing not to raise his children with religion.“I was given religious education… But Ratna [Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin’s wife] they did not study religion. We chose not to teach our children about religion. So I am afraid of my children… because when a group of people surround them and ask them whether they are Hindu or Muslim, they will not answer anything. They have no religion,” he said.Earlier, in an interview with ‘The Lallantop’, Ratna Pathak Shah explained why she and her husband continue to share good relations with co-workers like Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal despite their different views on politics.“I was born in a family where my father was from the RSS and my mother was a Communist. There were constant arguments at home, but we all lived happily together. Disagreeing with someone’s opinion does not mean not liking that person. The idea that anyone who disagrees with you should be fired is very new. It is not our culture.”He added: “They are making Indians fight like children in the school playground, the way bullies treat weak children. Do we want to be like that? No.”