The actor says both his sons - Imaad and Vivaan - will have to find their feet in the film industry on their own

In Bollywood, it's a common practice amongst established names to help launch their young ones. But Naseeruddin Shah is not one of them. The veteran actor believes that his children must go through the predictable grind to make a place for themselves in the crowd.

Naseeruddin, who recently announced that he's taking a sabbatical from films, has whole-heartedly shifted his attention to his first love: theatre. Interestingly, all his kids are also active on the stage but also dabble in cinema.


On being asked about his thoughts on his kids following his footsteps, the 62-year-old states, `I'm glad that they are doing something which is very close to my heart. It wasn't me who goaded them to take this path. They chose it on their own so I'm proud of them. But I can tell you from my experience that camera is a cruel friend. It either likes you or it doesn't.`

The thespian's elder son Imaad, who has acted in several films, will next be seen in Mira Nair's upcoming international project as well as Q's (Qaushiq Mukherjee of Gandu fame) Bengali film. He is an aspiring musician too. Vivaan, who received critical appreciation for his work in 7 Khoon Maaf, is yet to start with his second film.


He was slated to co-star Priyanka Chopra once again in Vishal Bhardwaj's forthcoming project but the plan is yet to take off. However, the 22-year-old is taking part in stage shows on a regular basis.

So exactly why doesn't Naseersaab go ahead and launch his kids? Well, it's a matter of principle. `Unlike others, I wouldn't launch them because firstly, I don't have the money required to do so and secondly, even if I had, I wouldn't. They should come up on the merit of their calibre. There are things you learn the hard way as an actor!`