From playing the roles of background characters to ruling the industry with unforgettable performances, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s journey exudes dedication, persistence and zeal to steal the show.
The actor has cemented his name in the show business by nailing each character with grace. Recently, Nawazuddin got candid about how overshadowing or sidelining indie films can be ‘dangerous’. He also opened up about the potential of independent films.
Talking about the films that have kept the cinema alive, Nawazuddin Siddiqui shared his opinion with Screen and said, “One can only hope that time comes back. There are only a few films that have kept cinema alive. To those who say films have to be commercially viable, that’s not necessary. If I go to a restaurant whose food I love, whether they market it or not, I’ll still go there no matter how far it is because I have the taste. If the food is not good, no matter how much marketing you do, it won’t work. Cinema should not be dependent on marketing.”
Explaining his statement, Nawaz gave an example of Payal Kapadia’s movie All We Imagine As Light and said, “For instance, Payal Kapadia’s film All We Imagine As Light was in the Competition section at Cannes Film Festival after a long time. It also won an award. We can’t imagine how many people around the world would’ve watched it. But once it released in India, it was thrown out of theatres after four days! The audience already knows about it, but at least it should get its fair place in the sun.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Career
After working as a chemist for a brief period of time, Nawazuddin Siddiqui joined the National School of Drama to test his luck. After moving to Mumbai, the actor started taking on small roles in movies like Sarfarosh, Jungle, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S and others.
He gained significant praise for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s movie Black Friday. His breakthrough came with the 2012 series Gangs of Wasseypur, where he got the chance to showcase the best of his abilities. Movies like Mom, Kahaani, Lunchbox, Badlapur and others changed the trajectory of his career. Nawazuddin gained International recognition for his role as an antagonist in the Netflix series Sacred Games.
He was last seen in a 2025 crime thriller series, Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders and the Moddock film Thamma, where he was featured alongside Ayushman Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna.