A biography for Nawazuddin Siddiquihasn’t been written yet.
“Love stories should be relatable.”
“I prefer if friends come over to my office and we talk our heart out over a cup of coffee. I feel that no one talks freely at industry bashes. Everyone has to behave in a certain way, and I think no one is real there. We can't have heart-to-heart conversations, and I start feeling uncomfortable at such dos.”
“Being a recognised face has its problems. I miss the freedom to go anywhere I want to.”
“'Freaky Ali' is not a heavy film. It's a simple but inspiring film. It will inspire those who want to go from zero to hundred. People who have made an effort to achieve success from nothing will be able to connect to the character.”
“I don't understand what A grade commercial cinema is. If you are talking about box office success, mine are A+ then!”
“'Ali' is the story of a lower middle-class golfer who becomes a champion. I find the game very interesting and would like to continue playing it regularly after the movie is wrapped up.”
“Looks is a matter of perception. At Cannes, Europeans think I am good looking, while in India, I am not.”
“I am trying every genre.”
“I was introduced to cinema by C-grade films that played in my village, Budhana, in UP. Only films by Dada Kondke, Mahendra Sandhu, and Kanti Shah were available.”
“The easier it looks on screen, the more hard work goes into making it so.”
“When someone is looking at me, I feel they are looking at someone standing behind me, not at me.”
“It's not necessary that every film has to hit Rs 100 crore box office, or the Rs 50 crore budget. If the film makes double of its project budget, we consider that a hit, and that also means that the film is in profit.”
“Only heroes get stereotyped. As they do the same kind of roles again and again.”
“I interact with journalists all the time, and I note how they behave.”
“In 'Haraamkhor,' I have explored a few things which I wouldn't have been able to do in bigger films. The process of shooting this film was so organic that it enhanced me as an actor and an artiste.”
“My character should not be ordinary, cliched, and if I feel that it's difficult to do this character, I take up that challenge to get into his character.”
“I don't want to take names, but there are some people who get everything served on a platter. This is a movie, this is your role, and you have to do it. Some people have to strive so hard to reach where they have and want to.”
“The film industry is mostly about unidimensional characters.”
“Most people go to ashrams or retreats to destress and rejuvenate themselves. But I come back to my roots, the place where I spent half my life. And when I return, I spend time in the farms, eating a stalk of sugarcane, driving a tractor, and chilling with childhood friends.”
“Coming from a small town, I didn't have big dreams. My biggest ambition was to find a job for myself.”