Right balance means more than right pay cheque for Nawaz

Actors have their reasons for signing mainstream entertainers. Some do it purely for the money, some do it to achieve a wider reach, while others do it to work with top names. But for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who’s known for his offbeat films, it is to maintain the right balance. He says, “I would do a big commercial film so that there’s a right mix. Also, I don’t do it all simultaneously, as I don’t prefer that. And, I don’t do commercial movies just for the money. Pehle jab mere paas khane ko kuchh nahi tha, tab bhi maine paise ki aukat nahi rakhi. Money is not the only factor.”

Though fame, glamour and money matter to most, the Manto actor says that these things never excited him. He took up this profession only for the love of acting. “I am from the National School of Drama (NSD), where I did musical plays, and a lot of stylised performances. I have a theatre background where we performed all kinds of plays, from Shakespeare to Russian plays,” says Nawaz. “So, before (big mainstream films such as) Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) or Raees (2017), I’ve portrayed such characters in my plays, too. It’s not necessary for all plays to be hardcore, offbeat and realistic. There are larger-than-life plays, too.”

Recalling his Delhi days, he says, “NSD is a place where one is trained for all kinds of plays. People (in cinema) put actors in categories, no matter how good your performance is. Just because you’ve done a commercial film, doesn’t mean your performance can’t be good. Anyway, nowadays, content-driven films ke name pe fraud chalta hai. Sometimes, these films can be so boring.”

Having said that, Nawaz feels that an actor should be paid what he or she truly deserves. Talking about his first pay, he adds, “My first earning was when I used to do street plays. It was decent money. I got around five thousand, which was not a small amount at that point of time. My mother had mortgaged her ornaments with a jeweller. So, once I began earning, we returned the money. My mother was very happy.”

I would do a big commercial film so that there’s a right mix... I don’t do commercial movies just for the money. Pehle jab mere paas khane ko kuchh nahi tha, tab bhi maine paise ki aukat nahi rakhi. NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI, ACTOR