Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a proud father after his 15-year-old daughter Shora successfully performed in nine shows of the stage play ‘Naqaab’, taking on a demanding role alongside him.
Nawazuddin said he deliberately gave Shora a challenging part in the one-and-a-half-hour play, allowing her to experience the demands of live theatre rather than easing her into acting.
“I always wanted her to work with me on a play where I could give her a really difficult role. I recently did a one-and-a-half-hour-long play called Naqaab, and I gave her the biggest role in it. She was on stage right from the beginning until the very end, and had the most dialogues,” he said.
The actor said he knew the role would be difficult for Shora because of her age, but invited her to take it up if she was genuinely interested in acting.
The first show was scheduled in Chicago, and Nawazuddin admitted that he was worried about whether his daughter would be able to handle the pressure of a live performance, particularly because theatre offers no opportunity for retakes.
“When the first show was scheduled in Chicago, I was really worried about whether she would be able to pull it off. I kept thinking, what if she forgets her lines? You cannot have retakes in a play. But the moment she came on stage and started performing, she killed it. She did a wonderful job. After that, we went on to do nine shows,” he said.
Nawazuddin said Shora’s experience on stage has given him confidence in her acting abilities. He added that he would be happy if, after completing her studies, she chooses to pursue acting classes or formal training.
“Now I am happy that once she finishes her studies, if she decides to take acting classes or undergo formal training, I will be very happy. Of course, I will make sure she gets the right training, because she has already experienced what it is like to perform on stage and has practically done it,” he added.