Shekhar Suman Recalls Bal Thackeray’s 3 AM Call for a Memorable Interview

Shekhar Suman recalls receiving a late-night call from Bal Thackeray at 3 AM, who praised his show "Movers & Shakers." Seizing the opportunity, Shekhar invited him for an interview, which Thackeray agreed to. The interview was so enjoyable that Thackeray requested another session. Shekhar also commented on the decline of Hindi language proficiency among modern actors, contrasting them with legends like Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan.

Key Points: Shekhar Suman on Bal Thackeray’s Late-Night Call

  • Bal Thackeray called Shekhar at 3 AM to praise his show
  • Shekhar invited him for an interview
  • Thackeray enjoyed it and asked for another
  • Shekhar also discussed the decline of Hindi language in Bollywood
2 min read

Shekhar Suman recalls getting a call from Bal Thackeray at 3 AM

Shekhar Suman shares how Bal Thackeray called him at 3 AM to praise his show, leading to a memorable interview. He also discusses the decline of Hindi in Bollywood.

"It was a lot of fun, do one more - Bal Thackeray"

Mumbai, May 03

Who among us has not watched Shekhar Suman's popular late-night talk show, "Movers & Shakers"? While the veteran actor hosted several prominent names from across industries, Shekhar Suman admitted that one of his most memorable interviews was with the renowned politician, Bala Thackeray.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Shekhar recalled that once Bal Thackeray called him to praise his show, and sensing an opportunity, he invited him for an interview.

Shekhar Suman further told IANS that they had so much fun during the interaction that the politician expressed his desire to do one more interview.

He shared that the politician had never appeared on a show till then, but he called him one night, at three o'clock, and said that he watched one of his programs.

"Saw this episode that you do very well," Bal Thackeray had said.

Responding to the praise, Shekhar Suman said, "If I do very well, then why don't you come to my show?"

Agreeing to this, Bal Thackeray asked, "When should I come?"

The two met soon, and Shekhar Suman finally got an interview with Bal Thackeray.

"After doing the interview, he said, 'It was a lot of fun, do one more', so I said, 'Sir, we don't have another costume'. He replied, 'Let's do it in this'. So that is a very memorable moment for me," recalled Shekhar Suman.

During the interaction, Shekhar Suman also talked about the decline of the Hindi language in the entertainment industry.

The 'Dekh Bhai Dekh' actor shared how people working in the Hindi film industry end up mispronouncing some very common words.

He told IANS, "Along with acting, I also wanted to really focus on the speech as both these things are closely connected to one another. Today's actors often mispronounce common words. What do you expect from such people in the industry where Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan are known for their command over the language? In fact, all over the world - It may be Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Hopkins, they are all known due to their language. Acting, speech, behaviour, all these things move together simultaneously".

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
I remember watching Movers & Shakers with my family—it was such a fun show! Shekhar Suman had a way of making guests open up. Interesting to know he interviewed Bal Thackeray too. Must have been quite a conversation.
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Vikram M
Shekhar Suman makes a valid point about language. In Bollywood, we've seen legends like Amitabh Bachchan set the bar high with their diction. But today's actors... yeh kya ho raha hai? They need to go back to basics instead of just focusing on looks.
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Siddharth J
Bollywood has become a joke when it comes to Hindi. Imagine an actor not knowing chai vs chay 🙄 Shekhar Suman is right—acting and speech go hand in hand. Thackeray interview is just a bonus anecdote. More power to him for speaking up.
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Rahul R
Not a fan of Bal Thackeray's politics, but I can appreciate that this was a 'memorable moment' for Shekhar Suman as a journalist. The fact that Thackeray called him at 3 AM shows how much he respected the show. Different times, different leaders.
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Michael C
Interesting piece. I used to catch clips of Movers & Shakers online—Shekhar Suman had real charisma. The language point is universal too; even in the West, actors like De Niro are known for their speech. Glad to see an Indian legend making this comparison.

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