Nawazuddin Siddiqui is having a prolific year in terms of work. The actor has recently returned to the big screen with his first theatrical release in years – Afwaah, and will soon be seen in a commercial entertainer in Jogira Sara Ra Ra. In an exclusive chat with DNA, the actor talks about his films, the positive reactions to Afwaah, and why the film’s limited release irked him.
Afwaah, directed by Sudhir Mishra, is what one would call a social thriller. Jogira Sara Ra Ra, on the other hand, is a romantic comedy. Talking about his range and diverse choice of films, Nawaz says, “I focus on how I can make my performance different from the last time. If you notice, when I did Manto, I also did Thackerey side by side. When I did Gangs of Wasseypur, I also did Talaash at the same time. That is deliberate. If I feel, this is something I have already done, the attempt is to not repeat that because you are answerable to yourself. I don’t want to fall into that trap so I am careful about selecting the roles.”
It’s been two decades since the actor has been in the industr but he says he still gets nervous around a release. “You always want your film to reach to more people. You have already done the most difficult part of it – the performance. Now, how well you have managed to do that and how the audience accepts it, that is up to them. But you do wonder how people will receive your work,” shared Nawaz.
Afwaah had a limited release in theatres, with many fans taking to social media to ‘complain’ that they weren’t able to find shows near them. Nawaz isn’t too pleased with it too. “It is wrong,” he says, adding, “If you are releasing in theatres, you are doing it for the audience. It should reach the people. Now, what happens is that the film’s collection will be low, then people will say the film is not working. And it affects the actors too. People can’t even find the shows anywhere.”
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The actor talks about the star system prevalent in the industry and says the lack of context behind why a film does not work often makes an actor the scapegoat. He explains, “There are so many small things that affect why a film earns less money and they need to reach the public. That context is needed, starting from size of the release to other things. In the absence of that, it all comes down to the actor that his films are not working. I feel there are two types of actors – one of the public and one of the industry. The industry actor comes before your eyes again and again because cinemas screen his films more. He is hammered down your throats. You watch them because the films are running in the theatre closest to you. But then, you have to look for shows of the film of an actor you really want to watch.”
Since the pandemic hit, Hindi films’ success rate has dropped. Barring a few hits like Pathaan, Sooryavanshi, Brahmastra, and a few others, most big films have fallen flat at the box office, whereas smaller films like The Kashmir Files have done well. Nawaz says that big films flopping hurts the whole industry. “Such big commercial films are being made and flopping. And that damages the industry. The advantage of a small film is that it recovers its cost via some or the other rights. It is not a flop if it has a decent budget. The damage is for the big films, made in over Rs 100 crore. That film failing affects the business of the industry as a whole, affects other films too,” he says.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has a huge slate of films lined up for release in this year and the next, starting with Jogira Sara Ra Ra. He will be then seen in Kangana Ranaut’s home production Tiku Weds Sheru, followed by Noorani Chehra opposite Nupur Sanon.
