‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ star Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently opened up about facing discrimination in society for his appearance. During an interview with News 18, the actor mentioned being the subject of taunts and unpleasant comments about his looks to the point where he has started believing that he “is the ugliest actor in the film industry.”
Known for taking gritty roles, the actor reflected on facing discrimination, saying, “Pata nahi shakalo se humari nafrat kyun hai kuch logon ko. Kyunki shakal hee aisi hai – itne badsurat hai humlog. Humein bhi lagta hai jab apne aap ko aaine mein dekhte hai. Hum bhi bolte hai apne aap ko ‘kyun aa gaye film industry mein itne gande shakal leke?’ (I don’t know why some people hate the way we look. Maybe it’s because we’re just that ugly. Even I feel it when I look at myself in the mirror. I question why I came into the film industry with such a bad appearance).”
The ‘Kahaani’ actor went on to label himself as the “ugliest actor, physically, in the film industry.” He added that he has been hearing this for so long that he has started believing it. The actor, who has consistently proved his acting prowess with versatile roles—be it Faisal in ‘Wasseypur’ or playing a cop in films like ‘Kahaani’ and ‘Raat Akeli Hai’—added that he doesn’t have any grudges against the film industry. He thanked all the directors who gave him a variety of characters to embody. Siddiqui also remarked that the film industry is very gracious towards one’s talent and that the discrimination is not a part of the fraternity, but society.
On the other hand, previously, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had commented on the discrimination in the film industry based on appearance. In an interview with Janice Sequiera, Kashyap said, “This industry doesn’t respect people. They think that Nawazuddin is dark-skinned, Pankaj Tripathi is normal, Manoj Bajpayee is a ‘gaonwala’… That’s how they view people.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui was recently seen in the thriller, ‘Rautu Ka Raaz,’ which was released on Zee5.