Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin-starrer Waiting has won acclaim at various film festivals. Ahead of the film’s release in India tomorrow, SpotboyE caught up with the two actors for a quick chat. Excerpts:
What made you two say ‘Yes’ to this film?
Naseer: I do fewer films maybe because I get only few films which drive me to say ‘Yes’. I don’t need to read the script more than once to take a decision if I am doing a particular film or not. When I read the script of Waiting, I thought I should do it because the situation touched my heart and I felt it had been written with a lot of honesty.
Kalki: The thing I liked most about this film was that despite it being a serious topic of grief and loss, it has many light moments of hope. 
Naseer, what’s your character in the film?
I play a retired professor whose wife is admitted to a hospital, which has one of his students as a doctor. My wife is in coma and I am trying to cope up with the situation. Suddenly, I meet a young girl (Kalki) who is in a similar situation; her husband is struggling for life. Post that, Kalki and I become each other’s support.
Kalki, what was your first reaction when you heard that you were going to work with Naseer?
I was very excited and happy. I was more nervous during my first film with him, That Girl In Yellow Boots than this time. Maybe this time, I was more informed about him or I was more prepared as an actor (smiles).
Is it true that he got angry on the sets once in a while?
Gussa aata tha par mere saath kabhi nahin. We got along pretty well.
Naseeer, everyone is scared of you. Why? I want you to tell the world through SpotboyE why you are so short-tempered.
Good na? Let everybody feel that I am short-tempered. I really don’t mind.
That doesn’t answer my question.
(Smiles) That is my genetic make-up, so it surfaces sometimes. I try to consciously check it when I find it rising. But sometimes, it manages to take over me. However, I think, now I am able to control my temper much more than I could earlier.
What are the main reasons for your outbursts?
I get very angry when I see incompetence and laziness around. My temper rises when I see no thought process, no planning.
You both are National Award winners. It is now felt that National awards have become Bollywood-centric...
Naseer: I don’t feel anything about it. I don’t have any thoughts on this subject.
Kalki: I feel very happy that I have won a National Award (for Margarita With A Straw).
Naseer, you worked in Waiting with a relatively new director...
This is Anu Menon’s second film. I haven’t seen her first one, but apparently it was quite different from this. I feel Anu is not just a very good writer but also a very caring person and most importantly, she has the courage to amend the film where she feels it needs repair. She is not like other filmmakers I have met, who were completely stuck on the script they have written and refused to budge from their position--- and I have met many such. I found Anu pretty open to the ideas Kalki and I gave. I wasn’t there when Kalki’s individual scenes were shot but I could see how much is contributed by Kalki in those scenes. I have to say that I admire her courage for being flexible where it required to be. 
Kalki, you recently made a statement that people are going to stop questioning your ‘Desiness’ after your National Award, what was that?
They still do, once in a while. They still ask me if I know about the Indian values or if I like spicy food. So I have to explain my backstory that I was born and bought up here. If this is not home, then I don’t know what is.
Naseer, you have won 3 National awards for Sparsh, Paar and Iqbal. Which is one is the dearest to you?
I guess it would be Sparsh as it was the first one. An award was the last thing on my mind because Sparsh wasn’t getting released for quite a while after it was made. I was very heartbroken that this film might never see the light of day. It took us 2 years to release it after it was completed and that too in a very small way, thanks to Boney Kapoor.
I was in a PG accommodation when Anil Kapoor came over and told me that I have won a National Award. I was elated; I was even getting Rs 10,000 with it and I needed that money (smiles).
Image Source: facebook/WaitingFilmOfficial, Hdwallpapers & Indiablog