It's been four decades in the world of movies for Nassar and the veteran still remembers the word of advice from his guru K Balachander -- be a learner always.

"For me, every day is a learning process. Even now, the first day with a new director is very tense for me. He may be young but I don't know if I will be able to give what he wants. Maybe it’s the old-timer’s feeling, but this kind of thing helps me move ahead," the 67-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.

"I don't feel too excited when some success comes or feel too low when something fails. I remember what my guru said, 'It's better to be a student always, be a learner always,'" he added.

Nassar's versatile career spans over 700 films, and his acting is noted for its power, even in small roles. He made his screen debut in 1985 with Balachander's "Kalyana Agathigal" and then gained recognition with his role as a police officer in Mani Ratnam's "Nayakan" (1987).

Over the next 30 years, the actor has featured in films such as "Thevar Magan" (1992), "Bombay" (1995), "Anbe Sivam" (2003), and "Iruvar" (1997). He is also well-known for collaborating with renowned directors like Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan.

Asked about his extensive filmography, Nassar said it is all "just numbers".

The actor, who has worked across various film industries, gave the example of legendary artistes like Manorama Amma, who featured in around 1500 films, and Telugu actor Brahmanandam, who holds a Guinness World Record for completing 1000 films.

"This is only a number, so I don't take it into account. But it feels nice when somebody says that you have done so many films and I understand that it brings a deeper responsibility, so I have to be more responsible towards my job," he said.

For him, every project is different and comes with new challenges.

"It makes me curious to go through all these projects and characters… I came to this industry in the late '80s, when films were actually shot on films. Now it has become digital. The attitude and approaches of the actors and the directors have also changed. Even though I'm there for all these 40 years, it's like going to a new school." And then there is dubbing work that still mesmerizes the actor.

As a dubbing artist, Nassar has lent his voice for Tamil versions of many projects, including international titles like "Prince of Persia", where he dubbed for Ben Kingsley; Steven Speilberg's "The BFG", "Mufasa: The Lion King" and the first season of globally popular series "Squid Game".

"Actually, when I started my career in films, I started as a dubbing artist. My first grain of food from film came through dubbing. So I have been dubbing for a very long time," he said.

According to Nassar, it is very interesting to dub for other actors and characters.

"When I dub for myself, I have my own rhythm and interpretation, I can do it easily. When I'm trying to dub for others, I have to keenly watch their process, their expectations and their thing. So dubbing is as interesting as acting.

"I have done a lot of international films in that regard. 'Squid Game' was very interesting for me. I did one of Spielberg's films ('The BFG') as well. In a way, dubbing keeps me relaxed in the busy schedule of acting," he said.

Nassar most recently starred in "Mayasabha", a gripping Telugu political drama series created and co-directed by Deva Katta alongside Kiran Jay Kumar.

Set against the volatile backdrop of Andhra Pradesh politics from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, it follows two once-close friends -- Kakarla Krishnama Naidu (played by Aadhi Pinisetty) and M S Rami Reddy (Chaitanya Rao Madadi) -- whose ideological divergence transforms them into fierce political rivals.

Nassar said he chose to work on the show as he found the story to be quite interesting.

"(It was) intense, very true to real life characters, with themes like ambitions, failures, success, betrayal. Everything was there.. To me, it was not like a biography or something like that. It was like a thriller because there were a lot of turning points in the series," he said.

In the show, Nassar stars as Shivaji Rao, a self made media baron and Andhra Pradesh's most influential business man, who believes that a strong regional party is essential to counter Delhi.

"It was very interesting for me because media barons, in any country and political system, are very important... They have to know what is happening around, what will be the future, what was the past, so they know they can judge better than anybody else. So it was very interesting to play that role," he said.

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