Heropanti 2 actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals a girl once rejected him to watch TV

In his career of more than two decades, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has received acclaim in almost every film -- from his early breakout roles in Black Friday, and Kahaani to films which were riding on his shoulder like Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur and Photograph.

Hailing from a small town Budhana in western Uttar Pradesh, Nawazuddin struggled for nearly a decade before he finally made it in films. Recently, the actor revealed that years ago, when he still lived in his village, a girl had rejected him. Reason? She preferred to watch TV! Then, a young Nawazuddin had made a promise that one day he’d be on TV too. 

During an exclusive interaction with Brut India, Nawazuddin revealed, "Actually, when we got a TV in our village, she used to go to watch Krishi Darshan. Sometimes when she was on her way, I'd ask her to talk to me. But she didn't talk to me because she wanted to go watch Krishi Darshan. So, I told her, 'Ek din tujhe TV pe aa kar dikhaunga' (One day, I'll be on TV)."

READ: Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals being rejected from TV show as it would require 'extra lights'

The actor further shared, "In Mumbai, when I did a serial for the first time, I remembered I had made a promise to a girl. So I called my friend in my village and asked him to talk to that girl. I had told her one day I'll be on TV. My program is tomorrow, on Sunday. My friend said, "Brother, she’s married and has 5-6 children. And the person she's married to not only doesn't let her watch TV but also doesn't let her leave the house."

Meanwhile, in an interaction with PTI, Nawazuddin said he never takes his audience for granted and hence his attempt is always to look for "something more" when a character comes his way.

"It is on you if you're making your character challenging enough. If you're doing that, means you're still curious. It is an ongoing process. The day I stop the process thinking that the audience will love me anyway as I am a great actor, my downfall will begin."

"Here, you can get too comfortable with the praise that comes your way, it can make you feel jaded. If I take that love, the audience for granted, I am finished," the 47-year-old told PTI.

The actor is currently awaiting the release of his next, "Heropanti 2". The actioner, headlined by Tiger Shroff, is among those projects that feels like a departure from the Siddiqui brand of movies, which are often mounted on a smaller scale but almost always guarantee a thought-provoking cinematic experience.

The actor said he is aware that his appearances in commercial films like "Kick" and "Heropanti 2" can irk a section of his fans.

"A section of my fan base abuses me when I do commercial films and say, 'Sir why are you doing this?' But for every 'Heropanti 2', I also have a 'No Lands Men', watch that then... I did 'Manto', it was a beautiful film, but when that didn't work, it pained me."

"When a credible, thoughtful film-- made after a lot of research-- is not watched by the audience, you feel like, 'Forget it, now I will do the other kind of cinema'. But hum aadat se majboor hai, I will keep doing my kind of films and strike a balance," he added.

Siddiqui said commercial films are a great tool to "break the pattern" that one might fall into as an actor and credited them for always opening up a newer world for him.

What also helps, the actor said, is the visibility the big films give to his smaller projects.

"I have never hated commercial films. If these big films earn money, my smaller films will get made because money is always rolling. Commercial films attract a huge audience and if even ten percent of that section comes to watch my smaller films, it will be a hit," he added.

Directed by choreographer-filmmaker Ahmed Khan, "Heropanti 2" is scheduled to be released on April 29.