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

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who is waiting for the release of his upcoming film Heropanti 2, has talked about his struggling days in his new interview. The actor revealed that moment when he was told to stop wasting his time becoming an actor.

Nawazuddin revealed that a television show had refused to take him because they would have to ‘put on extra lights’, and ‘face losses.’ It was only after two decades that the actor managed to get ‘two scenes.’ For the unversed, the actor had made his Bollywood debut with the brief role in Safrarosh in the year 1999. He was later seen in films including Black Friday, Kahaani, Patang, Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Raman Raghav 2.0, Badlapur, No Lands Men, Manto, Photograph.

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While speaking to News 18.com, the actor talked about the time when he had to face difficulties because of the way he looked. He said that whenever he used to go, they used to tell him that he does not look like an actor. They also asked him to find some other work. He was told that Actors are not like this, he is not an actor.” Why are you wasting time’, I had to hear this, from office to office. But finally, it took me 9-10 years. There came directors who were making realistic movies. We emerged with them. Those films never used to work here, but they used to get appreciation at (film) festivals. That’s when commercial filmmakers thought of us as authentic and decided to cast us. They made films with us. That’s how I got acceptance,” he stated.

While talking about a television that refused to cast him, he stated, “Aap log dikhte nhi ho (like actors)’, ‘You are unconventional’, what else can be harsh than this? When I used to ask for work in TV shows, they used to tell me ‘We cannot cast you because it will take more time. We’ll have to put on extra lights, whereas we have to send one episode every day. If we cast you, it will take 1.5 days, we’ll face losses. Better you find something else’. Then I decided to find work in movies. I was getting hardly a scene there or maybe a 40-seconds scene or one minute or two. For 5-6 years it went like this. Then I started getting two scenes. It went on like this for another five years.”