Known for his outspoken nature, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui once again pulled no punches in a recent interview with SCREEN’s Creators X Creators segment. Speaking on the occasion of his 50th birthday, the critically acclaimed actor opened up about the harsh realities of the Hindi film industry — from superficial friendships to the increasing trend of casting untrained actors in lead roles while sidelining deserving talent.
Nawazuddin, who has long been vocal about being an outsider in Bollywood, shared that he doesn’t believe in the friendships that exist in the industry. “There is no friendship here. It’s always based on need and benefit. Today someone is important, tomorrow someone else. The friends I value in life are the ones from my struggling days, not from the industry,” he said.
He further explained that insecurity among actors often gets in the way of genuine connections. “There’s no strong friendship or loyalty here because everyone is insecure. The industry lacks unity. There’s a separate club, and even they aren’t united,” Nawaz said bluntly.
The actor also took issue with the kind of talent being promoted in Hindi cinema. He expressed his frustration over how untrained actors are being handed major roles, while skilled actors are relegated to supporting parts. “Only in our industry will you find someone unreliable being taught how to act just to make it work. Other industries insist on trained professionals — they don’t let just anyone in,” he said.
Nawaz added that the audience becomes used to bad acting, leading them to think that the same actor has improved over time. “We compare their first and 15th film and say ‘look, they’re better now.’ But if those 15 films had gone to a deserving actor, that person would have been something else entirely. It angers me that great actors are reduced to character or supportive roles,” he concluded.
