Nawazuddin Siddiqui: I think even a film about a cat or dog released in 4500 screens will earn Rs 20 crore

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Nawazuddin Siddiqui was recently nominated in the Best Actor category for his performance in Serious Men at the International Emmy Awards 2021. The actor has secured a place for himself in the industry after years of struggle. His maiden celluloid appearance was with Aamir Khan in 1999's Sarfarosh. Today, he's one of the finest talents and a bona-fide star.

Talking about box-office collections and stardom, the actor had something to say recently. In an exclusive interaction with Mayank Shekhar, Nawazuddin said, "Earlier at the box office, a superstar's film would capture about 4500 screens. So irrespective of how good an another film (of a smaller star) was, it would release in limited screens in say Bhandup or Chinchpokli... who would go to watch a film in these theatres? I myself would prefer to watch a film at a nearest theatre. But that theatre is screening a superstar's film. So it's no big deal. I think even if you release a film about a cat or dog in 4500 screens, it will earn about Rs 20 crore on Day 1... Teri Meherbaniyan, if you release a part 2, it will also have a decent collection."

Watch the full exclusive interview with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vir Das and Netflix's Pratiksha Rao right here:

"Due to Netflix, there's no such fight for cinema halls. The platform has benefited us in two ways - it has presented us on the global platform; and some great actors who would never get noticed in a film, their talent came to the fore in front of the world," he added.

The Uttar Pradesh-born actor came to Mumbai in the mid-90s and is now known for critically-acclaimed films such as, 'The Lunchbox', 'Badlapur', 'Manto' and 'Photograph'. Anurag Kashyap's 'Gangs Of Wasseypur' series of 2012 helped him attain critical acclaim and popularity, which he soon substantiated by doing films such as 'Kahaani' and 'Miss Lovely'.

In 2020, Nawazuddin was seen in two projects playing Jatil Yadav in 'Raat Akeli Hai' and Ayyan Mani in 'Serious Men', which have been two of the most memorable characters in the Indian OTT space, in a year when visual entertainment has been defined by digital content.

Also Read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Film awards in India can build credibility too