Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s journey in Bollywood is a success story by itself with his passion for acting and self-belief, and the actor hopes his thinking on cinema “never gets corrupt”.
For about 19 years, he has been working relentlessly, as a junior artiste or a leading man in Bollywood. With films like Patang: The Kite, Miss Lovely, Haraamkhor and The Lunchbox among others — that travelled to various international film festivals — he has won the hearts of audiences all over.
“I just hope my thought on cinema does not get corrupt. The kind of cinema I am doing is getting overwhelming response — be it in India or internationally. The films are getting screened and recognised at prestigious festivals of the world, the appreciation that I get as an actor is great. I just hope this thought of doing good work continues and I do not get corrupt,” Nawazuddin told PTI.
Nawazuddin, from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, is a chemistry graduate who moved to Delhi to join the National School of Drama. After graduating from the theatre school in 1996, he shifted his base to Mumbai in search of work.
Remembering his days at the NSD, the Manjhi — The Mountain Man actor, who is now working on a Bal Thackeray biopic, says a lot of things used to happen — from training in kathak, bharatnatyam to folk theatre practice. “...Initially, we used to feel awkward as it was not our culture but this is our tradition and identity in the world like folk songs, folk dance, traditional plays,” Nawazuddin, who trained himself in acting at NSD, said.
A believer in that idea that self-education forms a crucial base for choosing a good script, he added: “I am not saying one should go to training school. Self-education is essential as you understand things on your own. The taste of good cinema builds in. Because of education we get to know how to judge a good script. This is my taste and I will continue doing such kind of cinema.”
“So maybe, I have the capability of choosing a good script because of education, the surroundings and the films that I have seen as a viewer,” the 43-year-old actor added.
Nawaz started his career with several blink-and-miss roles in films like Sarfarosh in 1999. It was Aamir Khan’s 2010 home production Peepli Live that got him wide recognition as an actor. Nawaz continued his journey on a road to success with movies like Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Raees, among others.
“I did not enter the film industry for recognition. I just wanted to do good work — be it doing street plays or television shows or films, be it doing small or big roles. I had no wish to become a star and that I will get recognition because I am a trained actor,” he said.
