Despite facing constant scrutiny over his tumultuous relationship with wife, actor Aaliya on social media, Nawazuddin Siddiqui remains unfazed. “Aadat ho chuki hai hum ko iss cheez ki. Earlier, I used to feel sad, but ab nahin because everything is a lie on social media,” the actor says.

The 50-year-old believes that the platforms often distort reality. “The image that is portrayed is never the truth,” he says, adding, “I feel that people have also started believing less in it. Agar social media ek image bana raha hai ki yeh insaan aisa hai and aap uspar vishwaas kar rahe ho, toh aap bahut bade dhokhe main ho.”

In a candid moment, Siddiqui shares how at one point, he also formed opinions about his contemporaries based on how they were portrayed online. “But upon getting to know them personally, I found they were quite different,” Siddiqui says, adding, “Saari duniya kharaab nahin hoti. There are always some good people jinki wajah se duniya bachi hui hai. And I thank those who didn’t scrutinize my personal life during my challenging times.”

The actor has played cop roles in Kahaani (2012), Raees (2012), Mom (2012), Raat Akeli Hai (2020) and his recent OTT release Rautu Ka Raaz. He says that nothing will ever let him be boxed in a certain character type. From portraying real-life figures in Manto (2018) and Thackeray (2019), to diverse other characters in films such as The Lunchbox (2013) and Haddi (2023), Siddiqui attributes his commitment to versatility.

Highlighting the distinction between an actor and hero, he shares, “Dekha jaaye toh, hero ko box mein rakha jaata hai, unfortunately. No matter how talented they are, they get to showcase just one shade of acting. Ki ek hero hai jo bahut acha hai aur woh sabko maar deg. Thankfully, actors play different characters. I feel that is me. I don’t fit in any box and I love trying different roles,” he wraps up.