Veteran actor Paresh Rawal turned 70 yesterday. Filmmaker and producer Mahesh Bhatt, who has worked with the actor on quite a few films like Naam, Sir and Tamanna, spoke about him in an interview with us.
Mahesh Bhatt on Paresh Rawal as the latter turns 70, “Someone who looks like the guy next door but carries within him a volcanic talent”
Your association with Paresh Rawal is long and rewarding. When did you first meet him?
It’s difficult to peer through the mist of time and pinpoint the exact moment you meet someone, who looks like the guy next door but carries within him a volcanic talent. And yet, I vividly remember the first time I met Paresh Rawal. It was at Salim Khan Sahib’s house during the casting of Naam. We were struggling to find an actor for a particularly challenging role, the villain who becomes the roadblock in Sanjay Dutt’s path, a role that would eventually help catapult Sanjay to stardom.
What was your reaction on meeting Paresh?
I am coming to that. “This is Paresh Rawal,” said Salim Sahib. I looked up to see a shy, almost meek-looking young man, who stood up respectfully and shook my hand. I was told he had a bit part in Arjun, a film starring Sunny Deol and directed by Rahul Rawail. But do you know what gravitated me to Paresh?
Tell me?
What drew me in was not his resume—it was his passion for theatre. That was enough for me. Here was a newcomer, thirsty and trained by the stage, someone who would bring an earthiness to the role that was essential. The character was a drug baron, settled overseas but deeply rooted in India. Paresh carried that dust, that fragrance of the land, in his very soul.
You went on to together bleed brilliancy into several projects
His performance in Naam—especially the chilling scene where he warns Sanjay Dutt’s character that this business is a one-way street with “no entry” on the other side—remains etched in people’s memories. The menace in that delivery still resonates. But it was in Tamanna, Pooja Bhatt’s first National Award-winning film, that Paresh truly stole my heart. He played the role of Tiku, a transgender who raises a girl child rescued from the streets of Mumbai.
When I narrated the story to him, he was visibly shaken. He said he would give his heart to the role—and he did. I have rarely seen such total surrender to a part. He became a devotee. I recall a particular scene with Nadira ji—who plays a fading actress slipping into madness—where he gently tries to feed her. That moment, tender and heart-breaking, stands among the tallest performances I have witnessed in Indian cinema.
In my opinion, the piece de resistance of your collaboration was Sir
Sir—prior to Tamanna—where he played Veljibhai, opposite his favourite actor, Naseeruddin Shah. Naseer was stunning in the film, but it was Paresh’s grounded, layered performance that astounded everyone. He played a gangster whose hands were drenched in blood, but who remained in awe of the teacher who came to tutor his daughter. His reverence for Naseer was real, and it showed. In Kubzaa, too, again as Veljibhai, he created a semi-cult classic. Another menacing gangster, rooted in Kutch, with the scent of the earth captured on celluloid.
Your closing thoughts on one of finest actors?
As Paresh turns 70, I look back with deep fondness and gratitude. I recall how he supported a young, struggling theatre director and producer trying to stage a play in Delhi, how he never forgot his roots in NSD (National School of Drama) and the stage, and how the legacy continues through his son, Aditya Rawal. Aditya’s brilliant turn as a terrorist in Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz made me believe that the stream is flowing strong—he will not just carry the legacy forward, he might just surpass it. So here’s to you, Paresh. Seventy years young, still burning bright. You have the vitality, the bite, and the fragrance of the soil in every role you inhabit. And I have a feeling your greatest performances may still be ahead of you.
Happy Birthday, my friend.
BOLLYWOOD NEWS – LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.