Naseeruddin started acting (Theatre) at a young age of 14. Shakespeares Merchant of Venice was his first theatrical show.Not many people know that Naseeruddin is a descendant of a 19th-century warlord named Jan-Fishan Khan. The latter helped the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.Shahs debut movie, Nishant (1975), was awarded the National Award in the Best Film category. The film was subsequently nominated for the Oscars.Rajendra Jaspal, a fellow actor and classmate of Shah, once stabbed him in the canteen of FTII. The former was envious of Shah signing certain films which he believed should have been his.His first wife, Late Parveen Murad, was 16 years older than him at the time of their marriage. 2 years later, the couple had a tiff and decided to part ways. However, Shah did not divorce his wife, as in his nikaahnama (Muslim marriage contract), Shah had not only promised a huge amount of money to his wife as alimony but had also disclaimed the right to bigamy.Even after becoming an established actor, Shah did not give up his love for theater. As a result, he along with a few friends founded a theater group named Motley Productions in the year 1977.Interestingly, Shah was the first choice to play the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the film- Gandhi (1982). However, Ben Kingsley overshadowed him at the auditions and grabbed the role.For his immense contribution to the field of acting/theater, Shah was awarded the Padma Shri in 1987 followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2003.Aside from Bollywood, Shah has also acted in a number Hollywood and Pakistani movies. His role of Captain Nemo in the 2003 Hollywood flick, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, was widely appreciated. Additionally, his second Pakistani film, Zinda Bhaag was selected as the countrys official entry into the 86th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.Notably, Shah has been honored with the lifetime membership of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film and Television.