<p>Recognition comes late for several actors. They struggle to achieve their best but people only notice the glamorous stars. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one such example who still hasn’t got the recognition he deserves. Though busy with films due to release this year, he did find some time for a short conversation with Metrolife.<br /><br />With two of his films – Gangs of Wasseypur and Miss Lovely – at Cannes International Film Festival 2012 and his yet-to-be released Dekh Indian Circus winning Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival, Siddiqui is yet to make a mark with a large part of the audience in India itself. <br />How does he choose his films? “I have no idea about anything. It is all in the directors’ hands. Luckily, I got good directors and signed on films that were destined to be acclaimed,” he answers. <br /><br />But in spite of being a part of such films, his name still doesn’t ring a bell with many. Does it mean that people still prefer stars of only commercial cinema? He feels that the public likes a good film. </p>.<p><br />“Somehow, formula films have greater audience availability. But it depends on their choice more or less. Only select audiences watch the different films.” <br /><br />Considering that and also how Gangs... reached Cannes, is he satisfied with the response the film is getting in India? “Shuruat dheere hui hai,” he says thoughtfully, “I thought people will start filling the halls and the film would go housefull but that didn’t happen. It is more or less dependent on word-of-mouth probably because there are no stars in the film.”</p>.<p><br />Moving on to his character in the film, what more is there to his role in Gangs..., apart from playing the ‘hunter’ and falling for the girl who wears the same Aviators as his. “My character is shy and speaks very little in the first part. But it comes of age in the second part of the movie. It is the complete opposite of what you see in the first part. There is a complete transformation in the mental level of the character.” Will he fall for a girl with similar shades in real life as well? “Oh no, not at all,” he laughs.<br /><br />An NSD graduate, Nawazuddin has been in the industry for about 14 years. “I have come up after many years. I believed I’ll get such sidey roles only and never a lead role but new and independent directors, who are not blinded by star power, recognised me and took me in. The subjects of their films are also nice,” he reminisces. <br /><br />Would he be willing to do the usual commercial cinema? “No, not at all,” he says vehemently. “Formula films with dance and drama are just not my cup of tea. I think if I work in such films, I will pressurise myself. Unconventional cinema is also catching up and will be at par with commercial cinema soon. If movies like Kahaani, Gangs... and even Vicky Donor, which are not like Rowdy Rathore, are also being liked by a large part of the audience, it is better that I stick to my genre of unconventional films,” <br />he ends.<br /></p>
<p>Recognition comes late for several actors. They struggle to achieve their best but people only notice the glamorous stars. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one such example who still hasn’t got the recognition he deserves. Though busy with films due to release this year, he did find some time for a short conversation with Metrolife.<br /><br />With two of his films – Gangs of Wasseypur and Miss Lovely – at Cannes International Film Festival 2012 and his yet-to-be released Dekh Indian Circus winning Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival, Siddiqui is yet to make a mark with a large part of the audience in India itself. <br />How does he choose his films? “I have no idea about anything. It is all in the directors’ hands. Luckily, I got good directors and signed on films that were destined to be acclaimed,” he answers. <br /><br />But in spite of being a part of such films, his name still doesn’t ring a bell with many. Does it mean that people still prefer stars of only commercial cinema? He feels that the public likes a good film. </p>.<p><br />“Somehow, formula films have greater audience availability. But it depends on their choice more or less. Only select audiences watch the different films.” <br /><br />Considering that and also how Gangs... reached Cannes, is he satisfied with the response the film is getting in India? “Shuruat dheere hui hai,” he says thoughtfully, “I thought people will start filling the halls and the film would go housefull but that didn’t happen. It is more or less dependent on word-of-mouth probably because there are no stars in the film.”</p>.<p><br />Moving on to his character in the film, what more is there to his role in Gangs..., apart from playing the ‘hunter’ and falling for the girl who wears the same Aviators as his. “My character is shy and speaks very little in the first part. But it comes of age in the second part of the movie. It is the complete opposite of what you see in the first part. There is a complete transformation in the mental level of the character.” Will he fall for a girl with similar shades in real life as well? “Oh no, not at all,” he laughs.<br /><br />An NSD graduate, Nawazuddin has been in the industry for about 14 years. “I have come up after many years. I believed I’ll get such sidey roles only and never a lead role but new and independent directors, who are not blinded by star power, recognised me and took me in. The subjects of their films are also nice,” he reminisces. <br /><br />Would he be willing to do the usual commercial cinema? “No, not at all,” he says vehemently. “Formula films with dance and drama are just not my cup of tea. I think if I work in such films, I will pressurise myself. Unconventional cinema is also catching up and will be at par with commercial cinema soon. If movies like Kahaani, Gangs... and even Vicky Donor, which are not like Rowdy Rathore, are also being liked by a large part of the audience, it is better that I stick to my genre of unconventional films,” <br />he ends.<br /></p>
