Nawazuddin Siddiqui: The Extraordinary Journey Of An Ordinary Man

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of the finest actors working in the industry today. With the sheer amount of talent he possesses, he ranks far ahead of some big Bollywood stars and has an unparalleled fan following amongst the art-house cinema and commercial cinema fans. He is also one of the busiest actors ever as he is juggling between big-budget films, indies, shorts, and web series.

The actor turns 44 today and was born in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh and is the eldest of 8 siblings. He did his Bachelors in Chemistry and worked as a Chemist in Gujarat before coming to Delhi where he was instantly drawn towards acting after watching a play. He graduated from the prestigious National School of Drama and from there on started his long struggle with Bollywood.

Slow Start

The actor graduated from the NSD in 1996 and moved to Mumbai in hopes of making it big in the industry. He appeared in a small role in Aamir Khan's Sarfarosh and followed this with similar kind of roles in films like Shool, Jungle, and Munnabhai MBBS. It was getting difficult for the actor to secure prominent roles because of his looks and wasn't even to secure spots in TV serials. 

Surviving

He couldn't go back to his village as he turning back was not an option for him. He had chosen this profession for him because he believed that he could excel here but innumerable rejections were not helping his case. By his own words, 2004 was probably one of the hardest years for him as he couldn't afford to pay rent and stayed with a senior in exchange for cooking meals from him.

Breakthrough

He appeared in Anurag Kashyap's Dev D and then in 2010's Peepli live in which his role as a journalist brought him widespread recognition and rave reviews. He then appeared in Patang: The Kite and Miss Lovely both of which premiered at International Film Festivals in  2012 and he received positive reviews for his performances. He scored a role as a short-tempered intelligence officer in Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani and as Faisal Khan in Anurag Kashyap's gangster saga Gangs of Wasseypur. 

Mainstream recognition in India

His successful outings in Kahaani and Gangs of Wasseypur, Talaash catapulted him into the big leagues. Everyone was now aware of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and the unlimited talent he possessed. No longer, he was the guy who pickpocketed in Munnabhai MBBS. He started getting lead roles and changed the way how actors were looked at in the movies. His supporting turn in The Lunchbox and as the lead antagonist in blockbuster Kick cemented his popularity. 

Continued Success

Now a certified great actor, he is starring opposite the big guns and holding his own in all the films. He is also starring in acclaimed short films like Carbon and will soon be debuting in web series with Netflix's Sacred Games and Amazon Prime's MacMafia. He is set to appear as Bal Thackeray in his biopic Thackeray and will portray legendary poet Manto. He had a great 2017 as he starred opposite legends like Sridevi and Shah Rukh Khan.

Balancing Act

Nawaz is one of those rare breeds of actors who can effortlessly slip into any role. Be it the role of a journalist, a psychopath, a killer, a common man or an underworld don, Nawaz manages to breathe life into these characters. He selects the projects which have more content in them rather than going after money and almost all of his projects have been received positively. We have to thank our stars that an actor like Nawazuddin Siddiqui exists today and is leading from the front.