Introduction

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an Indian actor, known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has appeared in four major movies, earning the title of Breakthrough Talent at the 2012 GQ Men of the Year Awards. Siddiqui’s feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in Patang (2012), which premiered at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival, for which Nawazuddin Siddiqui was presented with the Thumbsup Trophy by the cinema critic Roger Ebert. He also gained international recognition for his work alongside director Anurag Kashyap in Black Friday (2007), the Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) duology and Raman Raghav 2.0. 

Early Life

Belonging from a small village Budhana, of Muzzafarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Nawaz wasn’t had much scope for education. But somehow he along with his siblings (7 brothers with 2 sisters), managed to complete their education and moved out from that place as their village is known for only three 3G’s: Gehu (Wheat), Ganna (Sugarcane) and Guns. It was a lawless land where murder is an everyday thing and police also didn’t interfere with it. This fear of gun made his family move out for a better livelihood. After moving out to a city, Nawazuddin Siddiqui completed his graduation from Haridwar & started working as a chief chemist in Baroda to support his family. But his dreams were much bigger than his family could afford. He didn’t want to settle for less. Nawazuddin’s interest was in theatre, so he moved to Delhi & joined some theatre group. Since there is no money in theatre, so he opted for a Watchman job at the same time to continue his dreams. After that he enrolled himself in National School Of Drama there, to furnish his drama skills. He passed out from there in 1996 and worked in Delhi for four years, before moving to Mumbai. Just like many other, his journey to become an actor in Mumbai was not at all easy. His friend used to criticise him for saying “Kya Hero Banega”. Mumbai drained him financially. He walked from studio to studio whole day in a hope to get a good break. He asked his NSD senior for accommodation, for which he agreed but Nawazuddin had to cook twice a day for it. For 4-5 years, he worked for small roles & crowd scenes. He got a small role in Sarfarosh Movie, which made him slightly more famous but got him no substantial recognition & poverty continues. 

Carrer Journey

Nawazuddin Siddiqui Bollywood journey started after graduating from the NSD (National School of Drama) in the year 1996, Nawazuddin Siddiqui shifted to Mumbai in pursuit of his acting career in Hindi cinema. In the year 1999, Nawazuddin got his first break in the movie names ‘Sarfarosh’. This continued with some more small roles in the next few movies as well. But he was not able to earn a decent amount and hence the poverty continued for him. The struggle was not yet over. He was even a part of some TV series and short films out of which Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday proved to be the big break for him. The movie ‘patang’ can be called as his major lead role where he played the role of a wedding singer. This film was a part of the International Film Festival, Berlin. However, he got huge recognition for his role in the movie ‘Peepli Live’. He played the role of a journalist in this movie. Nawazuddin Siddiqui true success story took a dramatic turn now. The year of 2012 proved to be the end of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s struggle life. His two movies ‘Kahani’ and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ become the blockbuster hits at the box office. After these movies, he became a household name and got recognition for his acting skills. People started acknowledging his real potential. After this, there was no looking back for this marvellous actor. He went on to amaze the audience with his performances in movies like Talaash, Badlapur, Lunchbox, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Raees and Oscar-nominated movie Lion. In 2015, Siddiqui's films Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Manjhi - The Mountain Man were released, and he was praised for his roles. Siddiqui received the Special Jury Award at the 2012 National Film Awards and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2013. In 2019, he worked in movies like Petta, Thackeray ,Photograph, Housefull 4, Roam Rome Mein and Motichoor Chaknachoor & most famous webseries Sacred Games. Celebrated author Paulo Coelho had recommended Sacred Games to his Twitter followers and lauded Nawazuddin's work calling it "One of the best series on Netflix with the great actor Nawazuddin" 

Personal Life

Nawazuddin Siddiqui resides in the city of Mumbai. His younger brother Shamas Nawab Siddiqui is a director and stays with the actor. His wife’s names is Anjali. They have two children, a daughter and a son. In the year 2017, Nawazuddin Siddiqui biography named An Ordinary Life was published. This memoir contained every minute details of the actor’s life starting from his childhood struggles to becoming a superstar. This book was however withdrawn back a few days later only. The reason cited was that an actress named Niharika Singh who was Siddiqui’s co-star in the film Lovely had some objections regarding the content. She had filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women. There were a few times when Nawazuddin thought of going back to his hometown. He wanted to give up everything and even his acting as he was disheartened. But then he would think that his family won’t own him anymore. There were so many people who would mock him and make fun of him. So wasn’t ready to leave his dream and give up. 

Awards 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s first major break was the movie Patang. It got a premiere in the famous Berlin Film Festival. His performance in the lead role was appreciated by the noted movie critic Roger Ebert. His film got a 4/4 star ratings. This movie transformed his career and acting skills both. His four major films in the year 2012 Kahani, Gangs of Wasseypur (1st and 2nd part) and Talaash got wide appreciation. He won prestigious awards in Supporting Actor or Supporting Role – Male categories for the movies Talaash and Gangs of Wasseypur. Nawazuddin Siddiqui Bollywood journey was made wonderful with Special Jury Award at the 60th National Film Awards 2012 for his acting skills in the movies Kahani, Gangs of Wasseypur (1st and 2nd part), Dekh Indian Circus and Talaash. 

📜Conclusion:-

Where there is a will, there is a way.