The very moment one mentions ‘Nawazuddin Siddiqui’, the first thing that comes to your mind is his dedication, persistence and sincerity with which he approaches all his roles. In his career spanning many years in showbiz, he has delivered many memorable roles, which is bound to find its resonance for many years to come. Recently, his mother Mehroonisa Siddiqui was named as one of ‘India’s Most Influential Women’ by the BBC. Mehroonisa Siddiqui’s name figures along with other influential women like Mithali Raj (Indian women’s cricket team captain), entrepreneur Dr Urvashi Sahni, business analyst Nitya Thummalachetty and others.
Satish Sundaresan of Koimoi met up with Nawazuddin Siddiqui to speak about the role that his mother Mehroonisa Siddiqui had played in his success story.
Nawaz, the saying ‘God cannot be everywhere, that’s why He created Mothers’, just could not have been more true than in your case.
The proverb is really very true in my case. The role of my mother in my life has been extremely strong. She started her academics after her marriage. We hail from a village where there was no electricity. Besides teaching more than 150 children, my mother also inspired us to study. We happen to be the first family to be graduating from our village.
“I Got Back My Mother’s Jewelry With My First Salary”- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
How did you get to know about your mother Mehroonisa had got declared as one of BBC’s ‘100 Most Influential Women’?
I got to know about it from the news. I was happy that there were many big names along with my mother who were chosen as BBC’s ‘100 Most Influential Women’.
What was your first reaction when you heard the news?
I was extremely happy and elated. It’s only an acknowledgement to the fact that, whoever you are and wherever you hail from, hard work never goes unnoticed.
Looking back, in what way did you spend your first salary?
I got my first salary from the theatre. And with that amount, I got back the jewelry that my mother had kept in the shop.
If you were to dedicate a title of your film to your mother, which will that film be?
It will definitely be ‘Manto’.
On the professional front, kindly tell us about the status on The Maya Tape?
I have no idea on that film’s status.
Is it true that you will be playing the lead in Vishal Bhardwaj production, which is a comedy-drama that’s being directed by his assistant Aditya Nimbalkar?
It’s not a comedy film, but, a purely romantic film. The female lead is yet to be finalized.
Is it true that you are doing a film called Photograph that’s being directed by Ritesh Batra?
Yes. I play the lead in the film and Sanya Malhotra has been paired opposite me in the film.
