6 min readNew DelhiJul 17, 2026 07:22 PM IST Paresh Rawal served as a Member of Parliament for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2014 to 2019, while veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has often been critical of the ruling party and its politics. Despite their ideological differences, Rawal has always spoken about Shah with immense admiration, once saying, “Even Naseeruddin Shah’s enemies admire him. There is something about him that doesn’t let you take your eyes off him.” In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, Rawal reflected on his admiration for Shah, his influence as an actor, and how political differences have never affected their mutual respect. The conversation began with Rawal discussing his performance as a blind man in Aankhen. He revealed that he drew inspiration from Shah’s acclaimed performance in Sparsh. “I watched Sparsh multiple times while doing Aankhen. I haven’t seen any actor portray a blind man as beautifully as Naseeruddin Shah did in Indian cinema. There is a sparkle in the eyes of a person who is blind. It may sound …