Naseeruddin Shah on being trolled for his pro-Pak stance, the 'award vapsi' trend and why, at times, he prefers working with newcomers over former colleagues.

Last month, Naseeruddin Shah made headlines with his candid take on Indo Pak relations at the controversial launch of former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's new book, Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy. "I've been to Pakistan to perform and none of my shows were ever cancelled or disrupted. I wish we could have extended a similar courtesy to Kasuri sahab," he had said.

His comments caused a furore online and the 66-year-old actor was described as "biased" and branded a "Pakistani". When asked what it felt to be trolled for his pro-Pak remarks, Naseer points out that he was targeted only because he is a Muslim. "It really pains me but I had never been so conscious of my religious identity until now. Four generations of my family have lived in India. I am a proud Indian and won't allow anyone to question my patriotism.If I say Imran Khan (cricketer) is great, does that make Sunil Gavaskar any less a cricketer?" he reasons. One of the most decorated actors of his time - he's won the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, and three National Awards (for Sparsh, PaarandIqbal) - Naseer reveals that he doesn't understand the concept of returning awards. He doesn't approve of writers returning their awards in protest against the Dadri lynching and murders of eminent rationalists.

"I wish they would assume a stronger tone in their writing instead of returning their awards. Awards mean nothing to me so I won't bother returning them," he explains. Naseer will next be seen in Manish Srivastava'sCharlie Kay Chakkar Mein, a thriller in which he plays a cop trying to decipher a rare case of multiple homicides.He is quick to explain that `Charlie' in the title refers to a popular form of cocaine, and while he has experimented with a lot of things, he wouldn't recommend it to anyone. "But I also think there's a 'demonisation' of the phenomenon," he says.