Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 25, 2017)

His journey to becoming an actor celebrated for his prowess has been riddled with obstacles and events which make his toil worthy of being shared. And now, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is set to do just that. Siddiqui will release an autobiography titled, The Incredible Life Of The Drama King Of India, which will have him in conversation with journalist Rituparna Chatterjee.

Talking to mid-day, Siddiqui says, “We started working on the book almost two years ago. It traces my life from the time I resided in a village, to becoming an actor. We began writing this a while ago and will launch it in two months.”

The hardships that one has to endure to make a living in the city isn’t hidden from anyone, and Siddiqui admits that he had to face his share of obstacles to make a mark. “No one knows about my childhood and what it takes for a farmer’s child, who lived in a joint family, to enter this field and make a name. Achieving this life could have only been a distant dream. The contribution of my parents and my village in helping me become what I am today has been immense, and makes for a major chunk of the book. Also, my theatre days have been beautifully chronicled. I think there’s a lot of masala in there for people to read.”

The actor was recently embroiled in a racism controversy after a casting agent had apparently suggested that “fair and good-looking” actors couldn’t be paired alongside him. “My weakness has never affected my dream. I found the comment bizarre. It reflects the way we think.”