Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has long been regarded as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema today. Over the last decade, he has established himself as one of the most prominent faces in Indian streaming and the so-called ‘parallel cinema’. Since the death of Irrfan Khan, he is also called by many as his ‘successor’, filling the gap the thespian left with his early demise. However, at a recent event, Nawaz seemed to distance himself from that notion.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui on comparisons with Irrfan Khan
Nawazuddin Siddiqui discussed his life and career at the NDTV Creators’ Manch Season 2 held over the weekend. During the interaction, he was asked about the suggestion that he was filling the vacuum left by Irrfan Khan in Bollywood. The actor replied, “I have come to fill myself. I don’t want to fill the vacuum of any actor. I have many weaknesses. I want to fill that vacuum within me. This is my personal journey. I didn’t come here for anyone. I want to do what I want to do.”
Nawaz added that self-exploration and growth through characters remained his prime focus, suggesting that artists should look inwards rather than measuring themselves against others. “I know that I have many weaknesses, and I want to deal with them through the characters. That is my focus. God has given you so much; you should focus on that. You don’t have to look at other actors. You have a lot inside you; you just have to discover it,” he added.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan worked together most famously in the Ritesh Batra film The Lunchbox. The 2013 film, which also starred Nimrat Kaur, won the Critics’ Week Viewers Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated at the BAFTA Awards in 2014. The two actors also worked together in Paan Singh Tomar and The Bypass. In previous interviews, Nawaz had called Irrfan a ‘mentor-like figure’ for him early in his career. Irrfan died in 2020 at the age of 53 after a long battle with neuroendocrine cancer.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s upcoming work
Nawazuddin Siddiqui was last seen in the Netflix crime thriller Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders. He has a number of projects lined up for release this year, including courtroom drama Section 108 and heist thriller The Great Escape Faraar. The actor has also joined the cast of Tumbbad 2.
