Neeraj Pandey on Naseeruddin Shah being uncomfortable with depiction of Muslims in bad light in 'A Wednesday': 'Never said that to me; liked the script so much'

Neeraj Pandey's 'A Wednesday', starring Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah, was released in September 2008. And recently, the filmmaker addressed the claims made by the 'Ishqiya' actor that he felt uncomfortable, as all the terrorists shown in the movie had Muslim names.In an interview with Screen, the host said that Naseeruddin Shah claimed that he went to Neeraj Pandey to address the issue. Replying to the same, the filmmaker shared that the veteran actor never said anything to him while filming.Neeraj Pandey further shared he has not seen the interview, and Naseeruddin Shah might be promoting something while making such claims. The 'Special 26' director went on to share that the actor told him he would "not change a word about the script because he liked it." Neeraj expressed, "Then saying this doesn't make sense."The moviemaker also added they collaborated on a project after that as well. He said, "All those memories are priceless, and I cherish them."When the interviewer asked Pandey if he would work with Naseeruddin Shah in the future or have any plans, the filmmaker replied, "Yeah, we will. Why do you even ask that? Why wouldn’t we again?"In an old interview with IndianExpress, Naseeruddin Shah shared that there was a hidden message in the film, as "all four terrorists were Muslims." The actor said, "I even asked Neeraj if it was deliberate. I asked him why they didn’t have a Tamilian also. He said there’s nothing political in this."Written and directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film also starred Jimmy Sheirgill, Aamir Bashir, and Deepal Shaw, apart from Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah. It was a commercial success as well as received a lot of appreciation critically. It was released in theatres on September 5, 2008.