Naseeruddin Shah thinks cinema halls will only exist in museums in the future

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says that the future will be all about computers and web, and that within 50 years, cinema halls will only be in museums.

"The future comprises the computer and web. I think within 50 years, cinema halls will only be in museums. People will be taken around and shown where people used to sit, where they used to buy popcorn from, and where films used to be screened. And people from that time would be in awe that thousands came together to watch a film. It's a tragedy, films are a communal experience, more and more of it is becoming personal."

He joked that maybe in 100 years, children will be born with telephones implanted in their heads. "I won't be around to see it, but I really miss the thrill of going to a crowded cinema and watching a movie, immaterial if the seats were comfortable or not. I grew up in places like Meerut, Alibaug and Nanital, where you sat on wooden seats and watched the movie from the first row, which gave you a strain on your neck. But the joy of doing that cannot be replicated by watching a movie on your mobile screen."

He can now be seen in the digital show Zero KMS on ZEE5. The series, set in Goa, is on human trafficking.

"I have been very fascinated by director Qaushiq Mukherjee's films. I think he is pretty unique filmmaker. He makes very hard-hitting, cutting edge, whimsical and eccentric cinema, and I personally like eccentric people. The first film of Qaushiq Mukherjee that I saw was Tasher Desh, in which my son acted and the way he has shot the play by Rabindrath Tagore is a completely unique take on it," says the veteran actor, who adds that he has also seen Ludo and Garbage. "I cannot say they are perfect movies, but what he is attempting to do is to find new cinema language. And I was very interested in seeing what Qaushiq would do with an action thriller, like Zero KMS. The part that he offered me was quite interesting too," he adds.