Thimphu: Naseeruddin Shah has often called Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh among his favourite screen icons and the veteran actor says people are often surprised by this answer.
Shah, 68, said before Kapoor, Hindi cinema actors lacked style when it came to being a part of songs, often looking "awkward" as they tried to dance.
"Whenever I am asked who my favourite actors are, I say Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh. People expect me to say Balraj Sahni and Dilip Kumar. I admire them too but Dara Singh and Shammi Kapoor were my favourites."
"Shammi kappor is the man who gave a form to song picturisation in India, what men should do in a song. Post Shammi Kapoor, every actor has done a Shammi Kapoor or tried to do a Shammi Kapoor and every choreographer has tried to make them do a Shammi Kapoor," Shah said.
"There were actors singing songs, and they didn't seem like they were singing themselves, which they weren't, of course. All you saw was these rather awkward gents trying to look younger than they were," said the actor who admires Shammi Kapoor a lot.