Nawazuddin Siddiqui may have become one of Bollywood's renowned actors and his work has been appreciated by both critics and audience alike. But did you know that before making his foray into Bollywood, the actor has had to sell coriander and work as a watchmen as well. In a recent interaction with social media page, Humans of Bombay, Nawazuddin talked about his 'struggle' and revealed how the idea of taking up acting struck him.
Claiming that his wasn't a journey but only a 'struggle', the actor revealed, "I lived in a flat with four other people – it was about survival. 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."
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Talking about his first experience to witness acting on stage, Nawazuddin continued, "Our family would watch Ram Leela plays together. That was my first encounter with acting. One of my friends played Ram and seeing him on stage left me starstruck! I’d imagine playing the role of Ram myself! After college, I worked as a chemist in Vadodara. There, I watched a play for the first time. That night, the thought of being an actor became a dream. So I studied at the National School of Drama and then went where everybody with a dream of acting goes – Bombay. My parents, who weren’t educated themselves, supported me. They said I could do anything as long as I was honest and worked hard."
But as we all know, Nawazuddin's struggling days are find behind him. Asked about it, he signed off by stating, "I went from being a watchman to becoming the 'watch me' man – and I’m nowhere near being done, so keep watching – I’m here to stay!"
His latest film, Ritesh Batra's Photograph co-starring Sanya Malhotra, hit the screens today.
