Reminiscing the journey of becoming an actor, nawazuddin siddiqui Tuesday said that initially he accepted small roles to survive as he had no other option. Nawazuddin, who has appeared in some of Bollywood’s leading films like ‘Black Friday’, ‘New York’, ‘Peepli Live’, ‘Kahaani’ and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, talked about the struggles and challenges he faced. He was speaking on the topic ‘Journey as an actor’ at the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa.
He said, “I was offered small roles, which I accepted to survive. I had no other option. But I never got discouraged. It’s the tough times that make you stronger.” He said, “If you have to start from zero, you have to forget what you have learned before”.
Nawazuddin said that after graduating from college, he briefly worked as a chemist in a petrochemical company. However, he joined theater to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. Eventually, he got admission in the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi.
When asked how Gangs Of Wasseypur proved to be a turning point in his acting career, he said that the film made him believe in himself.
“I believed that after this my struggles would end and people would appreciate this film,” he added.
Nawazuddin also shared his experience of working in web-series on Netflix and other OTT platforms.
He said that initially he was hesitant to work in series on OTT platforms as he had no idea about them. However, Anurag Kashyap convinced him to work on these platforms. Significantly, the Sacred Games web series was a big hit on Netflix.
Nawazuddin shares his words of wisdom about playing versatile roles in the biopics ‘Manto’, where he played prominent Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, and ‘Thackeray’, in which he played Bal Thackeray. He said, “Acting is my hobby and I never tire of it. Acting is my everything, it is my life. One life is not enough to quench my thirst for acting.”