CNN-IBN

Mumbai, Jul 22: Naseeruddin Shah celebrated his 57th birthday on Thursday with chocolate cake, some champagne, lots of friends and a full house of the Mumbai premiere of his first directorial venture Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota.

“I am happy. I have turned 22 today. My whole future lies ahead of me and I’m looking forward with great anxiety,” Naseeruddin Shah said.

With over three decades of acting behind him, the man sure knows that Bollywood is eagerly waiting to see his debut piece for reasons more than one.

“Now all the directors are saying – ‘Ab maidan me aa jao’ (Now all the directors have to come out on the field and compete),” director, Nagesh Kukunoor said.

When asked friends what Naseer the actor and the Naseer the director had in common, actor Tinu Anand said, “Temper. I know he loses his temper. But, I was happy to see that he couldn’t take it out on his actors. He would instead kick the wall or hit his own head.”

Meanwhile, Naseer's narrative cocktail peppered with 'What ifs' opens in theatres on Friday, and the actor filmmaker has his fingers crossed.