Seema Pahwa pens a heartfelt note of gratitude for ‘guru’ Naseeruddin Shah

Powerhouse performer Seema Pahwa is known for her comedy and serious characters in both films and television. From Badki in the iconic Doordarshan soap opera Hum Log to Sheela in Gangubai Kathiawadi, she has played many memorable characters over the past decades. In 2021, the acclaimed actress made her directorial debut with Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, featuring Naseeruddin Shah as the central character. Seema recently took to social media to share a note of gratitude for the veteran actor, whom she refers to as her ‘guru’ and with whom her alliance goes back more than 40 years, when she was more actively involved in theatre.

According to a report published in The Hindu, Seema was attending a get-together over four decades ago when Naseeruddin asked her if she would like to do a reading for his theatre group, called Motley. Seema’s husband, noted actor Manoj Pahwa, was also present at the party. Thus, she considers Naseeruddin responsible for bringing them back on the stage in Mumbai. 

In a special note she shared on Instagram, Seema wrote, “GURU BIN GYAAN KAHAN SE PAUN. Thank you so much sir mujhe apne sath kaam karwane aur kaam si khane ke liye thank you @naseeruddin49 #respect #learning #passion #regard #teacher #ideal #ador 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺”.

Helmed by Seema, Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi is a family drama film, in which the entire family of Ramprasad (essayed by Naseeruddin) comes together at their ancestral home in Lucknow for 13 days after his death, to perform his tehrvi. It’s the screen adaptation of her own play, Pind Daan. The movie also stars Vikrant Massey, Konkona Sen Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Vinay Pathak, Supriya Pathak, Manoj Pahwa, Vineet Kumar, Deepika Amin and Sadiya Siddiqui, among others.

Last month, Seema’s new dramatic reading series - titled Koi Baat Chale - premiered on ZEE5, in what can be described as theatre’s transition from stage to screen, as these new plays are now streaming on OTT. It included plays by Manoj, Vinay Pathak, Vineet, Sadiya Siddiqui, Gopal Datt and Vivaan Shah. 

Also read: Exclusive! Koi Baat Chale director Seema Pahwa: I cannot take on direction full time because...