Refusing to discuss the turmoil in his personal life, Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his latest release Raat Akeli Hai, and why he won't steer towards filmmaking
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 2, 2020)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's personal life has been under the scanner ever since wife Aaliya sent him a divorce notice in May. There have also been allegations of abuse and misconduct as his estranged wife made startling revelations on social media. The actor fields the question calmly, stating, "I don't want to say anything about my personal life in public."

He would rather concentrate on acting and his family occupation of farming in hometown Budhana. "I practice farming whenever I am back in my village," says the actor. While he kicked off 2020 with the release of his long-pending Ghoomketu in May, he has turned his attention to Raat Akeli Hai that dropped on Netflix on Friday. "When I shoot, it doesn't matter whether it is for theatres or OTT platforms. My job is to challenge myself to perform better. You should keep working and giving your best shot. It may take time, but one day, you will earn the fruits of labour. I had no clue if I would achieve success, but slowly and steadily, I have reached here."

After Kahaani (2012) and Raees (2017), Siddiqui is playing a cop again in the noir thriller, which marks the directorial debut of casting director Honey Trehan. Having known him over the years, he is thrilled that Trehan chose him for his first feature film. "I am familiar with his creative process. I got to know him well during the making of Raees, in which he cast me."

The actor rues that casting directors, despite being integral to a movie, do not get their due. "When people watch a film, they say the actors were well-chosen for their parts. They don't realise that it is the work of a casting director," says Siddiqui, who will next be seen in brother Shamas's directorial venture, Bole Chudiyan. "I don't even know the D of direction; I'm happy to leave it to my brother."