On This Day - Om Puri's Birth Anniversary: The Films Of Om Puri - Naseeruddin Shah Duo That Every Cinephile Should Watch

The two remained close friends for more than forty-five years.

"…It was difficult not to be thrilled at the level of performance he had achieved. Something told me I could NOT have done what he did. Om had always been a model student." - Naseeruddin Shah in 'And Then One Day: Memoir by Naseeruddin Shah'.

Om Puri was an acting legend who could play both serious and comic roles with equal perfection. The late Indian actor appeared in both mainstream and parallel cinema, and also in several international projects, leaving a significant mark like no other. He, without an iota of doubt, was one of the finest actors of world cinema.

Born on October 18, 1950, Puri received two National Film Awards for Best Actor and two Filmfare Awards among other accolades. While the actor passed away in 2017, he is still alive in our memory with his remarkable oeuvre and continues to inspire every budding actor who aspires to do something out of the box.

Puri's friendship with Naseeruddin Shah was legendary, to say the least. The two were classmates at the National School of Drama and went on to remain close friends for decades. Their paths time and again crossed in Hindi cinema (and sometimes in theatre as well), starring together in several pathbreaking films. Well, whenever the two actors shared the screen space, it ignited a fire!

(Credit: filmhistorypics)

To mark Puri's birth anniversary, let's revisit the best films of him with Shah in this article.

Aakrosh (1980)

The list must begin with 'Aakrosh' as this film, with no doubt, is a landmark project in both Puri and Shah's careers. The film, helmed by legendary filmmaker Govind Nihalni, is a satire on the corruption in the judicial system and depicts numerous aspects of human emotions. It stars Om Puri as Lahanya Bhiku and Naseeruddin Shah as a lawyer named Bhaskar Kulkarni.

'Aakrosh' is listed among the sixty films that shaped Indian cinema. The film earned Om Puri his first Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actor, and Shah the Best Actor Award at the 8th International Film Festival of India.

Sparsh (1980)

Released in the same year as 'Aakrosh', the Sai Paranjpye directorial 'Sparsh' features Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi as the lead, while Om Puri appears as Shah's friend. The film follows the love story of a visually impaired principal and a sighted teacher.

'Sparsh' is widely recognized as one of the best films ever made in India. It won three awards at the 27th National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.

Ardh Satya (1983)

Govind Nihalani's 'Ardh Satya' is based on S. D. Panvalkar's short story, 'Surya'. The film stars Om Puri as a policeman who has to fight the evils surrounding him. Naseeruddin Shah appears as a suspended cop, Mike Lobo, in the film, and the two's chemistry is the major highlight here. Besides them, it also stars talents like Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Madhuri Purandare, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Madan Jain, and Satish Shah among others.

The film earned Puri the National Film Award for Best Actor.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)

'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro' is a satirical black comedy film that is relevant even today. Helmed by Kundan Shah, the film comments on various issues in our socio-political and socio-economic scenes. It stars Om Puri as a corrupt contractor named Ahuja and Naseeruddin Shah as a photographer named Vinod Chopra. Besides them, it also stars Ravi Baswani, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Bhakti Barve, Rajesh Puri, Satish Kaushik, and Neena Gupta among others.

Both Puri and Shah delivered one of their finest performances in this film.

Maqbool (2003)

According to most critics, 'Maqbool' is the best film of the Om Puri - Naseeruddin Shah duo, where they appear as inspectors Purohit and Pandit respectively. The two characters are based on the three witches in 'Macbeth', and just like the witches, they predict the rise and fall of Maqbool in the film.

Puri and Shah's chemistry here is incredibly amazing, giving a masterclass of acting. Their off-screen camaraderie becomes evident in their performances.

Well, let's give a big round of applause to Vishal Bhardwaj for such excellent casting!