Nawazuddin Siddique needs no introduction. But there was a time when he used to live in the small town of Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, in the state of Uttar Pradesh -- with his six brother and two sisters, -- where even receiving an education was a far-fetched dream let alone aspiring to be an actor. But the siblings managed to get whatever they could in terms of education.
However, things took a turn when the Nawaz's family moved out of the village in search of better livelihood when the guns that the town was famous for, had them fear for their lives.
After the family moved, Nawazuddin completed his graduation from a university in Haridwar and thereafter, worked as a chemist at a petrochemical company in Baroda.
Later, he moved to Delhi and as we all know by now, he worked as a watchman at various places. But his true calling lay somewhere else. Of course, the movies! So, he frequently visited theatres began participating in plays. Consequently, he enrolled at the National School of Drama (NSD) and graduated from it in 1999.
And while he did graduate from one of the most prestigious acting institutes in the country, success did not follow immediately although it was mostly uphill for him after this step.
Nawaz, as he is fondly called, did small roles in various films. He made his Bollywood debut in the year 1999 with a small role in the Aamir Khan starrer 'Sarfarosh'. Later, he starred in Ram Gopal Varma's 'Shool' and the 2000 film 'Jungle', as well as Rajkumar Hirani's 'Munnabhai MBBS' (2003). Between 2002 and 2005, Nawaz was mostly out of work, but he never gave up. Between 2004 and 2007, Siddiqui did a few more minor roles, including in the film Black Friday. And this trend continued until the 2010 film 'Pepli Live' in which Nawaz essayed the role of a journalist that got widespread recognition for it. Next, his performance in Prashant Bhargava's Patang: The Kite was praised by film critic Roger Ebert, who stated that the role "transformed his acting style."
Thereafter, there was no looking back for Nawazuddin. 'Gangs Of Wasseypur', 'Talaash: The Answer Lies Within', 'The Lunchbox', 'Kick', 'Badlapur', 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', 'Raees', 'Manto', were some of the films that followed.
In an earlier interview with DNA, Nawazuddin had spoken about the reactions from his friends and relatives on his stardom. He had said, "It's a sense of satisfaction because I proved all of them wrong. All of them said 'kya hero banega (how will he become a hero)' when I set out. When I go back now they say 'isne toh karke dikhaya (he has done it)'. I made it possible."
When asked if he ever thought of giving up, he says, "So many times I felt I was wasting my time because things were just not working out. But I couldn't even go back. What would I do there? Spent all my life acting and I don't know any other work. Also, I was afraid my friends would tease me. Arrey hero banne gaya tha, wapas laut aaya (he had gone to become an actor and has returned with nothing)."
And so, from doing plays, acting as a prop in films to landing the role of the protagonist and shouldering an entire film, Nawazudddin's rags to riches story is for the generations to come.
