If Naseeruddin Shah is in front of the camera, you can be assured he will be a scene-stealer. Going behind the camera, however, is something he is wary of. Over 17 years since his maiden directorial venture, Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota (2006), the senior actor has picked up the directorial baton again for Man Woman Man Woman. The short film features his actor-wife Ratna Pathak Shah, son Vivaan Shah, Tarun Dhanrajgir and Saba Azad.

The veteran actor wrote the relationship drama with wife Ratna, and shot it in October over six days. At the writing stage itself, he envisioned Ratna and Vivaan in the central parts. He says, “Ratna plays a woman with a sense of humour, determined to enjoy every moment in her life, and who doesn’t cower down to people. For Vivaan’s role, I wanted him to shed his intensity as he had to play a quieter and more laidback person.”

Naseeruddin’s elder son Imaad Shah served as an associate director on the project. So, how was it collaborating with the family? “They are all actors on sets and don’t behave like family. Sometimes, they take a little liberty with me. Vivaan and Ratna have worked with me as a director, and know what to expect. In fact, at one point, I got angry and Vivaan gave me a hug and said ‘Baba, cool it.’”

Even as he enjoyed making the short film, the scars of Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota remain. The drama featured some of Hindi cinema’s finest actors, including Konkona Sens Sharma, Paresh Rawal, and the late Irrfan Khan. 

“I was disappointed with the way the film turned out, and I take all the blame for it. I was focusing only on the actors, but fell short as far as imagining the scenes [was concerned]. Irrfan’s story was a big blunder. I feel terrible that I wasted a marvellous actor like him. I apologized to him as many of his scenes got cut. I won’t make a feature film again, though I may direct another short.”