Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an Indian actor. His nickname is Nowaz. He shot to fame with his portrayal of the various roles in some popular Bollywood films like “Black Friday,” “New York,” “Peepli Live,” and more.
Biography/Wiki
Nawazuddin was born on 19 May 1974 (age 47 years; as of 2021) in Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. He studied at B. S. S. Inter College Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. While he was growing up, there was hardly any provision of electricity, and that’s why he studied under the lamp throughout his schooling. Later, he moved to Haridwar and enrolled in Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand for pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. In his college days, he used to be an active participant in declamations, painting, and drama competitions.
In his days of struggle, he used to work at a chemist shop in Vadodara. He relocated to Delhi and joined a theatre group to pursue his acting goals. Because of insufficient money in theatres, he had to work as a watchman for around 5 years.
He went to the National School of Drama (NSD). After learning acting, he migrated to Mumbai in 2004 to pursue his acting career. During his stay in Mumbai, Nawaz had to face the worst time; as he was staying in the flat of his former NSD senior for whom he had to cook meals.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5’ 6”
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Family, Girlfriend & Wife
Nawazuddin was born into a Zamindar Muslim Family called Numberdars. He hails from the Sunni sect. His father, Late Nawabuddin Siddiqui, was a farmer and also used to operate an Aara, a wood cutting machine. His mother’s name is Mehroonisa. Nawazuddin is the eldest of his 9 siblings. He has 6 brothers and 2 sisters.
Reportedly, Nawazuddin’s first girlfriend was Sunita Rajwar, an Indian film and theatre actress, who was his classmate at the NSD.
He dated actress Niharika Singh for a while.
He got married to Anjali, who was from his village. Anjali is also known by the name Aaliya Siddiqui. The real name of his wife is Anjali Kishor Pandey.
Anjali and Nawazuddin have been blessed with a daughter, Shora, and son, Yaani.
Career
Nawazuddin received his first break in Aamir Khan starrer Bollywood film “Sarfarosh” (1999). He had a very small role in it.
He played the role of a thief in the 2003 comedy-drama “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.” The main cast of this movie was Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt.
He did not get any work from 2002 to 2005 and had to share a flat with 4 other people in Mumbai. In 2007, he featured in Anurag Kashyap’s “Black Friday,” and important roles started pouring in. He played his first leading role in Prashant Bhargava’s “Patang” (2007-08). He portrayed the role of a wedding singer – Chakku. According to him, his role in the film was the turning point of his acting career.
He made a cameo role in the song called Emotional Atyachar. It is from the 2009 movie – “Dev D.”
He fetched recognition as an actor after working in “Peepli Live,” produced by Aamir Khan in 2010. He was very well known among people after playing the role of an Intelligence Officer in the film – “Kahaani” in 2012.
Nawazuddin did a tremendous job in the movie “Miss Lovely,” directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, in which he played the role of Sonu Duggal. This movie was premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. He played the role of Faizal Khan in Anurag Kashyap’s – “Gangs of Wasseypur” which verified that he is one of the most promising actors in the Indian Film Industry.
He next appeared in the movie “Haraamkhor.”
Controversies
- In October 2017, his previous girlfriends Sunita Rajwar and actress Niharika Singh, who co-starred with him in “Miss Lovely,” blamed him for falsifying facts in his autobiography – An Ordinary Life: A Memoir.
A few days after the release of his biography, Nawaz proclaimed to withdraw it after getting heavy criticism.
A complaint was filed against Nawazuddin with the National Commission for Women (NCW). Niharika Singh’s advocate Gautam Gulati lodged a complaint against Nawazuddin for “outraging the modesty of the actress.” Sunita Rajwar also made an appeal for maligning her in his biography. In July 2018, there was an F.I.R. lodged against Nawazuddin and the producers of the Netflix web series, Sacred Games, by Rajeev Sinha, a Congress politician from West Bengal. He blamed them for discrediting the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and also, for bringing down the level of Bollywood.
- In December 2017, another actress Sunita Rajwar, who is reported to be his first girlfriend, also sued him for Rs. 2 crores. She accused him of attempting to damage her image. She said that in his memoir, Nawaz had mentioned that she dumped him because he was poor. However, Nawaz refuted all her claims and replied that the Sunita he had mentioned in his book was not Sunita Rajwar but someone else. [1]
- In May 2020, his wife Aaliya sent him a divorce notice. In an interview with the Indian Express, Aaliyah told that their marriage had been troubling for the past decade, and lockdown came as an opportunity for her to end the marriage. When asked the reason behind her notice, Aaliya didn’t reveal much and said,
I won’t be able to speak on the issues right away, but yes, we have been having problems from the last ten years. Now, during the lockdown, I got thinking and thought I had to end this marriage. I had sent him the notice much before he left for Muzaffarpur, and he has not yet replied to my notice, so I have to take a legal route now.” [2]
Awards
- Special Jury Award for Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Dekh Indian Circus (2012)
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Lunchbox (2013)
Car Collection
Nawazuddin owns Ford Ikon and Ford Endeavor (SUV).
Assets/Properties
He owns A one-bedroom flat in Zohra Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai. In January 2022, he shared the glimpse of his new bungalow in Mumbai that he built on the same design as that of his house in his native village in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh. Reportedly, the actor turned into an interior designer to get the desired look of his house. He has named the house after his late father, Nawab. [3]
Signature
Favourites
- Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Ashish Vidyarthi
- Actress: Sridevi
- Film: Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief (1948)
- Destination: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Facts
- Nawazuddin is a chain smoker.
- He is a non-vegetarian.
- His hobbies are flying kites, watching films, and farming.
- He drinks alcohol occasionally.
- In 2015, his father died due to a brain hemorrhage. He was paralyzed for a few years before passing away.
- He is a very shy person and stays calm and away from stardom.
- In April 2017, he shared a video on his Instagram account. In this video, he explained that he is not just a Muslim, but a bit of all religion.
View this post on Instagram
#SixteenPointSixSix
- He has co-starred with all the 3 Khans of Bollywood. He worked with Salman Khan in “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” Aamir Khan in “Talaash,” and Shah Rukh Khan in “Raees.”
- Nawaz revealed in an interview that if he were not an actor, he would be a farmer. He owns ancestral farm fields back at home in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh.
References
- 1 ↑ The Times of India
- 2 ↑ NDTV
- 3 ↑ The Tribune