Serious Men: Nawazudddin Siddiqui Feels Caste Discrimination Is Deeply Rooted In Villages
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Actor Nawazudddin Siddiqui, who plays the role of a Dalit lying about his son being a science genius in his latest film Serious Men, claims that the caste system is deeply rooted in villages. The actor, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, said that even he was not spared by the discrimination in spite of being famous in the movies.
The Sacred Games actor had also condemned the Hathras incident and called it “very unfortunate”. In an interview, the actor said that in villages caste systems are very much prevalent and are a reality that is immune to campaigns or social media.
Recalling an incident from his own family, during an interview with NDTV, Nawazudddin Siddiqui said, “In my own family, my grandmother was from a lower caste. Even today, they have not accepted us because of my grandmother. The fact that I am famous doesn’t matter to them. It is deeply entrenched within them…it is in their veins. They consider it their pride. The Sheikh Siddiquis are the upper caste, and they will not have anything to do with those they consider beneath them. Even today it is there. It is very difficult.”
The actor’s comments came at a time when there are a nationwide protest and anger over a young Dalit woman’s death. The victim succumbed to horrific injuries from an assault by four upper-caste men in her village in Hathras in UP.
“What is wrong is wrong. Our artiste community is also speaking out against what happened in Hathras. It is very important to speak out. It is a very unfortunate incident,” Nawazuddin Siddiqui said to the channel.
The actor further said that people on Twitter may say there is no caste discrimination. However, they are not aware of the reality and if the same people travelled around in remote areas of the nation, they would find a very different reality. He referred to his own village.
Coming back to his film, Nawazuddin Siddiqui was recently seen in Netflix’s film Serious Men, which is directed by Sudhir Mishra and stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Indira Tiwari, Aakshath Das and Nassar. The film tells the story of a father from a lower-economic condition trying hard to improve his financial condition. He also has a son, who is a child prodigy.
What do you think about Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s opinion about caste discrimination in the country? Let us know in the comments.
