‘People who work hard to make film are not paid much’: Naseeruddin Shah on bitter truth of film industry

They have spent their entire life in a dark room to entertain and need to be applauded, actor Naseeruddin Shah said at an event to honour three projectionists while also pointing to the “bitter truth” of an industry that often does not recognise those who work behind the scenes.

It is disheartening that people who play a pivotal role in a film’s success are not recognised in the film industry for their contribution, Shah said Wednesday evening at the event organised by the



Film Heritage Foundation.

The veteran actor, who was chief guest at the evening where audiences also watched a rerun of filmmaker Kamal Amrohi’s 1949 movie “Mahal”, lauded the not-for-profit organisation for recognising the work of film projectionists. The FHF awarded projectionist Lakhan Lal Yadav from Raipur, P A Salam from Pune’s National Film Archives of India (NFAI), and Mohammed Aslam Fakih of Regal Cinema, Mumbai, with the lifetime achievement award and Rs 50,000 each.