Exclusive: Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his small-budget films being neglected, says 'People did not see Manto, Photograph, Raman Raghav 2.0'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is synonymous with delivering some powerful and versatile characters on the big screen and the digital sphere. However, the actor admits that as compared to his big-budget films, his other movies that are built on a small budget have often been neglected by the audience. The actor in an exclusive interview with Desimartini spoke about some of his movies not getting the big screen validation and tasting success in the OTT sphere instead.

The actor said, “ Thackeray (2019) was a hit. Manto (2018) yes people didn't watch at all. People didn't watch Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) and Photograph (2019) too. But when these same films came to OTT, then people watched and loved them. So, if you view it in that sense so movies don't become a flop. If a low-budget film does not earn that much in the theatres, it becomes like a festival film but when they reach the OTT, they almost become a hit. So, a movie made on a modest budget is never a flop but when a big-budget movie is made on a valuation of 70, 80, or 100 crore tanks at the box office, then it can be called a flop.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui also gave some valuable advice to the young actors of today who face constant rejection on the basis of their looks or acting skills while looking back at his own struggling phase. The Sacred Games actor said, “See my struggle phase is quite an old thing now, to be honest. I don't even remember all of these things now because, in exchange for that, the film industry has given me a lot. I don't want to talk about them right now because continuously talking about them will obviously make me unhappy. But whenever people ask me about this continuously, then I tend to talk about it. I don't want people to focus on my struggle. Yes, the craft which I have, to talk about them is much better. I feel I'm not in a position to advise the current generation of actors but on the basis of my experience, I can say to keep honesty and passion. Their hard work will bear fruit today or tomorrow. There will be moments of frustration but one should not slip into a depression.”

On the work front, Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be seen in Heropanti 2 alongside Tiger Shroff. He will be seen playing the main antagonist in the same. The movie has been helmed by Ahmed Khan.