Exclusive | Nawazuddin Siddiqui Is Happy His Kids Are Finally Going To School After Legal Battle With Estranged Wife, Aaliya

In a candid conversation, Nawaz said that he disagrees with the common understanding of what it means to be a ‘Hero.’ 

In an exclusive chat with ABPLive, Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about his kids.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is regarded as one of the most candid performers working today. His family feud kept him in the news for quite some time. His brother and his estranged wife have levelled significant accusations against him. Meanwhile, Nawazuddin’s next film, ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’, is almost ready to hit theatres. The actor said that his co-star Neha Sharma is an ‘underrated actor’ in a recent interview. Nawaz also disagrees with the common understanding of what it means to be a ‘Hero.’ 

In an exclusive chat with ABPLive, Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about his kids. He hesitated to speak about the ongoing controversy with his wife by saying all he wants is positivity in everyone’s life.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

How was your journey from a small role in ‘Sarfarosh’ in 1999 to ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ in 2012?

The journey in between was very difficult. I was doing small roles in some films but the main problem was survival. There was a huge gap between work, so whenever the frustrating stage started to occur, friends nearby used to support each other. The good part about that journey was I had many friends and many actors whose condition was also not good. 

It used to happen that if someone got work, then we all used to go to his house. We used to eat and drink together. That’s how I survived for 8-9 years.

While shooting 'Gangs of Wasseypur', did you have the idea that it would become a cult movie?

Frankly speaking, no we did not have any idea as the script did not have much dialogue written in it, we went just like any other film. We went with Anurag (director Anurag Kashyap). Every actor was excited because of Anurag, and not because of the film. Because Anurag always ends up making something good. Not many people knew about the film, only the actors working in it knew. After going there, slowly things started getting improvised. Then slowly, we started enjoying it but no one knew it would become such a film.

Are you satisfied with the kind of work you are getting now?

I get satisfaction by doing small films which are small but deep. So, doing such movies give me satisfaction.   

Is there a specific reason that you are not doing roles opposite big stars?

If you see, even in those films (Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Raees and Kick) I had a strong role opposite Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. So, next time if any strong role would come especially with these stars, I would definitely do it.

So, I am open from my side. I am currently doing a South movie in which I am playing a strong role of a villain.

Any big-budget film which you regret doing?

Yes, there are one or two films which I cannot tell. It would not be good to name those films. 

One movie that made you disheartened because it didn't work.

The success of a movie depends on how many screenings it gets. 

If you release a movie on 50 or 60 screens, then how can you expect it will work? And that too sometimes the show is at 10:00 pm, 11:00 am or early in the morning and then you will expect that it would collect Rs 10-12 cr. But it doesn't work like that and everything falls under an actor’s head.

After releasing a star’s film on 60-70 screens you expect something big. Later, the news comes that the actor’s film didn't work. So everything comes under the actor’s account. But no one sees, how many screens the movie gets. This is very painful.

Any reason why you did not promote 'Afwaah' much?

Because I am not in the lead role in the movie. It has an ensemble cast and I am just a part of it. Meanwhile, my other movie (Jogira Sara Ra Ra) is releasing in which I have a heroic role. So, definitely I will promote this more. For this movie, I have more responsibility because I have a lead role in it. 

What kind of audience you were expecting for 'Afwaah'?

I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting anything. That is a producer’s job. I did my work. I worked as honestly as I could, the rest is dependent on the makers and how they will release the movie.

How do you feel that your personal life is more in the news rather than your work? 

What is going on? That was happening a month ago, but I don't want to talk about it. Because all I wanted was that my kids could go to school and they are going now. So, from my side, I am happy.  And I want positivity around everyone. 

I don’t want to talk about those things. The time has passed. Generally, anybody who talks anything about me now or even in the future, I will not react.

Tell us about your role in ‘Jogira Sara Ra Ra’ and your chemistry with Neha Sharma.

This is a fun-comedy film. There’s no intensity in it. People will laugh while watching it in the theatres, that’s a special part of the film’s writing. Many things were even improvised while shooting. “Mazedaar film hai, aapko bore nhi karegi.”

I think Neha Sharma is very underrated because we don’t expect much from this type of actor. But she is a surprising element in the film. 

You would feel that with the kind of performance she gave in the film, the chemistry stood out. Even people can feel the chemistry from the trailer.  

You did a film ‘Photograph’ alongside Sanya Malhotra. What’s your idea behind choosing such underrated roles?

Thank god, you liked the movie. Very few people say that they like ‘Photograph’. It’s a very good question because what happens is we expect a different kind of performance from a hero. For people, a hero should explode the city, burn down the buildings and whatnot. 

Humaare yahan ‘less’ wala mamla hai hi nhi actually. Ek aam aadmi jo aapke saamne se gujar jaaye aur aapko pata bhi naa chale, hum uske baare me kabhi baat hi nhi karte hain. Ek aisa aadmi jo aapke saamne har roz khada hai lekin aapki nazar hi nahi jaati uske uper. So it (protagonist in ‘Photograph’) was this kind of character. He was a common man, there was nothing extraordinary about him. Likewise, about the performance, if you do a simple performance with honesty, no one pays attention to it.

From a hero’s performance, people expect blood, terror, heavy dialogues or heavy laughter. Our cinema is inclined more towards that kind of performance.

So, doing this kind of role (underrated) is risky because people will not observe it since people are habitual of gun violence and heavy actions.

Do you deliberately choose diverse roles? 

Exactly, I choose the roles very carefully because I have to answer myself as an actor. If I did ‘Manto’ then I’ll also do ‘Thackeray’, if I did ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, then I’ll also do ‘Photograph’.

Do you think the definition of ‘Hero’ is changing?

Haa wo hona chaiye, typical hero nhi hona chaiye jo sirf ek ladki se pyaar hi karta hai. There was a movie of Anthony Hopkins, 'The Father', he was also a hero, right? Another movie by Asghar Farhadi - 'A Hero'. Now, people assume that a hero will create a ruckus and fight with goons, but actually, he is a hero because of his truthfulness and honesty. 

Your idea of India in 2047 - 100 years of independence.

I want everyone to be educated by 2047. Everyone should live as per their will. I want everyone will find positivity in their lives, and education is a must- especially, the younger generation. Our country’s youth is very hard working. 

People who are working outside India in medical or IT fields have become the spine of that country. 

I want that there should be more dimensions, especially in the field of art. The laws should be more open for artists. They can paint whatever they want and tell whatever stories they want.