Instinct, not commerce, guided Nawazuddin Siddiqui to Main Actor Nahin Hoon. Director Aditya Kripalani’s indie film about a depressed banker is in contrast to the big-ticket masala movies that dominate screens today. It’s also Siddiqui’s way of cutting out the noise and falling in love with the craft again.
“There is a lot of calculation now — how much a film will earn, how many people it will reach. But this film is not for financial benefit, it’s for the benefit of the actor in me. I didn’t come into films because I wanted a fan club. This is my personal journey. To satisfy the audience, you have to keep doing one kind of character. I can’t do that. If you love me, you will have to watch different characters,” said the actor in his trademark candour.
Aditya Kripalani. Pic/Yogen Shah
Choosing such off-beat stories has become harder today when the industry is making fewer movies. But it will always be stories over spectacle for the actor. “Earlier, more films were being made, so people were taking more risks. Now, few films are being made, and because of that, actors suffer too. What has happened to our industry is pathetic. Everything has become about spectacle. It’s no longer about the story. There is no originality in the industry. One thing becomes successful, then everyone starts making the same thing.”
Is Siddiqui disappointed in the current system? Perhaps. But he is hopeful too. He reasoned, “Every era changes because of one film or one piece of art. Sometimes weak phases come, and then strong films change the era again. That cycle will continue.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and daughter Shora. Pic/Yogen Shah
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s daughter Shora is reportedly making her acting debut with Arijit Singh’s directorial venture. Did the actor have any tips for her? “I keep nudging her to do acting courses. The best way to be a good actor is to broaden your horizon. I send her different films to watch so that the scope of her worldview is much larger,” he said.
Take a cue from Kerala
According to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Malayalam cinema is the perfect example of how stardom and content can be married. “In Kerala, intelligent films are being made on small budgets, and big stars are doing them because those films satisfy the actor in them,” he noted.