It was surprising and wonderful that audiences are appreciating stories from everywhere: Nawazuddin

It has been a difficult year for everyone as it was the same for me. There were ups and downs,” says Nawazuddin Siddiqui, adding that as a professional, he had a great year. The year 2020 has been a phenomenal one with regards to his spectacular performances that entertained everybody, one after the other. As an actor, the response to his films Serious Men and Raat Akeli Hai made him happy.

While the pandemic was tough on people around the world, and it was an “unfortunate year”, what surprised him in 2020 was that people saw world cinema sitting at home. “I am glad to see that people are now aware and educated about content around the world. It is not about a hero-heroine, damsel in distress or boy meets girl formula but it was surprising and wonderful that audiences are appreciating stories from everywhere,” he points out.

With theatres shut due to the pandemic, there were few films that released in theatres and many released on various OTT platforms. Despite lockdown, he stood out with roles in the burgeoning OTT space. Siddiqui is glad that people began enjoying another medium of entertainment. He says, “The reach of OTT platforms is huge and if an original film releases online, it is seen by a world-wide audience. I have got reactions from people in New York, Rome and many other places about my films.”

The actor was glad to have some downtime this year and revisited many classic films. In fact, he planned his days and ended up watching 150 movies. “I watched movies of my favourite actors including Anthony Hopkins, Denzel Washington, Matthew Mcconaughey, Ricardo Darin, Daniel Day-Lewis and I learnt from their techniques and felt like a student. In that sense, the lockdown was fantastic for me. Invariably, when I watch any content, I end up noticing the nuances and see how skilful the actor is. I enjoy what I feel engaged in,” he reveals.

The actor will spend his New Year’s in London, UK as he will be shooting for a new film. “I have been in New York for New Year’s once and it was quite wonderful. Now, I look forward to festivities in the UK. Workwise, I will shoot for a film called Sangeen and I have projects lined up for 2021. Iss saal bahut aaram kar liya,” he signs off.