Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has expressed his views on Hindi cinema, stating that he is disappointed and calling for a change. Speaking at an event in New Delhi, he said the Hindi films are copies of each other, which have not changed in the last 100 years.

Shah, 73, said he has stopped watching Hindi films altogether for the simple reason that there is no meat in them. He believes that while people from outside will initially find Hindi cinema exotic and then colorful, they will ultimately feel sick and tired of it.

He repeated that the filmmaker is for serious cinema and that reality has to be shown in society through cinema rather than just opting for commercial reasons alone. He expressed his grief over the fact that Hindi cinema has become commercial cinema these days, profit cinemas rather than cinema halls or artistic cinemas for that matter.

Shah also compared it with those Iranian film-makers who still managed to make films, come hell or high waters of government suppression, and Indian cartoonist RK Laxman, who still managed to do his cartooning during those days of emergency.

Shah emphasizes that cinema needs a new perspective and approach from the filmmakers. It puts more emphasis on the substance than commercialism. Only then, according to him, will Hindi cinema see any real meaningful development.