Nawazuddin Siddiqui shared about his experiences from his journey of becoming an actor from a common man.
The 44-year-old actor stated that the idea of becoming an actor came to him when he saw a play for the first time in Vadodara, where he worked as a chemist after college.
"Our family would watch Ram Leela plays together–my first encounter with acting. My friend played Ram & seeing him left me starstruck! I imagined playing the role myself! After college, I worked in Baroda. There, I watched a play for the first time & the thought of being an actor became a dream." He said.
The actor revealed that his journey to make it in Bollywood was more of a struggle than a journey. He wrote, "I worked odd jobs - sometimes as a watchman, sometimes selling coriander. I even held acting workshops! I must have gone for a 100 auditions and took up every single role that came my way, no matter how small it was. It took 12 years before I got a 'breakthrough'. It wasn't easy - the struggle was not beautiful, it was just that; a struggle."
"So many times I think I was wasting my time because things were just not working out," he says when asked if he ever thought about giving up. But I couldn't even go back. What would I do if I were in that situation? I've spent my whole life acting and have no experience in any other profession. I was also worried that my friends would tease me. Arrey hero banne gaya tha , Wapas laut aaya, (he had gone to become an actor and has returned with nothing).
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is best known for his roles in Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur, The Lunchbox, Raman Raghav 2.0, Manto, and Thackeray. Photograph, in which he co-stars with Sanya Malhotra, will be released in theatres on March 15.