Nawazuddin Siddiqui Reveals How Sacred Games Happened To Him (Photo Credit – Netflix)
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Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a prominent actor in Indian cinema. He is largely celebrated for his stellar acting skills, which captivate the audience and leave a lasting impression. He is admired for his remarkable versatility and the depth he brings to every character. Siddiqui has appeared in several projects featuring varied characters, but one of his memorable roles is in Sacred Games. While the audience loved Nawaz as Ganesh Gaitonde and he truly owned the character, the truth is that the role didn’t come to him easily.
Among his numerous iconic roles, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s portrayal of Ganesh Gaitonde in Sacred Games remains one of his most compelling and striking performances. In a recent podcast, Nawazuddin revealed how Sacred Games happened to him. Initially, the 51-year-old actor refused the offer, thinking it was a regular TV serial, and he had struggled a lot to get into films. Neo-noir crime thriller director Anurag Kashyap convinced him to take on the show, assuring him it would surpass Gangs of Wasseypur, a film they had previously worked on together.
How Nawazuddin Siddiqui Finally Agreed To Sacred Games?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui said, “Motwani approached me first. I told him, ‘I’ve struggled so much to finally get into films—and now you want me to do a TV serial again? I don’t want to.’ But he said, ‘Nawaz, this isn’t a TV serial. It’s OTT. It’ll be watched all over the world.’ Honestly, I didn’t believe him. Motwani is a very to-the-point guy—unless there’s drama, we actors don’t really get convinced. I ignored it for three or four months. Eventually, Motwani told Anurag, ‘You convince him.'”
He continued, “Anurag, after a drink or two, sat me down and said, ‘Just do it. It’s a great character.’ I finally said, ‘Alright, let’s do it.’ They told me this could even surpass Gangs of Wasseypur. I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’”
He further added, “But truthfully, I had no idea what Netflix was, or what OTT even meant—none of us did. It was all happening for the first time. Then we started shooting—and it felt like we were making a film. That’s when I thought, Yes, this is something big.”
About Sacred Games
Sacred Games is an intense crime thriller set in Mumbai, following Inspector Sartaj Singh and gangster Ganesh Gaitonde. With a gripping story and exciting twists, it became a hit Indian web series. Opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the show stars Saif Ali Khan as an inspector, amongst other cast, including Radhika Apte, Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Koechlin, and Ranvir Shorey. Sacred Games had a successful 2 seasons on Netflix.
What’s Next For Nawazuddin Siddiqui?
Nawazuddin was last featured in a crime thriller, Costao, which was streamed on Zee 5. Next in his pipeline is Raat Akeli Hai 2, a sequel to his Netflix thriller mystery series. For the big screen, the actor will be seen in Thama, a Maddock Films production from Dinesh Vijan’s horror universe. Nawazuddin is said to play a negative role in the film starring Ayushmann Khurrana, which is slated for a Diwali 2025 release.
