Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in a recent interview, spoke about shooting amid the pandemic and the OTT boom
Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of the most sought-after actors in Bollywood currently. The actor was last seen in Serious Men, a satirical comedy-drama that released on Netflix. His next is an American-Indian-Bangladeshi drama directed and written by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki titled No Land's Man, which follows the journey of a South Asian man which becomes complicated when he meets an Australian woman in America.
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In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Siddiqui spoke about shooting amid the pandemic and the OTT boom. He shared, "Shooting during Covid-19 times is tough. I was a bit scared and wondered how things would be. But thankfully, all the precautions are being taken."
Talking about his next web stint, Siddiqui said, "Iss saal filmein hi karni hai. Abhi OTT pe koi series nahin hai (I'll only be doing films this year. There's no series on OTT at present). After Sangeen, I will be shooting for a romantic drama Jogira and then there's another film with producers of Serious Men, where I play a custom officer."
When asked about the OTT boom, Nawazuddin Siddiqui believes that cinema and OTT can co-exist. "Both platforms are great in their own ways. OTT is liberating and democratic. Wahan monopoly nahin chalti, jo screens pe hoti hai (Monopoly doesn't work on OTT like it does on screens)."
He added, "Ek bakwas film bhi agar 5,000 screen pe release ho toh, woh bhi 20-30 crore banayegi first day par (Even if a bad film releases in 5,000 screens it will make 20-30 crore on the first day). On OTT, the viewership for us and a superstar is the same. The viewer decides which movie they want to watch. I am glad that the star-system has been levelled to some extent on the digital platform as the audience is not just about 5,000 screens but on a global level."
Talking about growth and his career graph, Siddiqui said, "Even today, I feel the same nervousness and insecurity that I felt in my first film. And I want to remain like that. I don't want to change myself or think I'm bigger than a character or film. It would be harmful for my growth."