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Field job: Nawazuddin finds bliss in his ‘habit’ of farming!
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who recently posted a video of him working at his family-owned farm in Budhana, says farming is something that comes ‘naturally’ to him
He travelled to his home-town, Budhana (Uttar Pradesh) last month amid lockdown. And since then, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has kept himself busy, not with anything to do with acting but what, he says, comes “very naturally” to him -- farming.
On his social media accounts, the Kick actor shared a video titled ‘Done for the day’, in which he can be seen cleaning his hands at the end of the day, at his farm. Later, Siddiqui -- who clearly seems to be soaked in sweat and mud -- picks up the spade and walks off.
Ask him if ‘enjoys’ indulging in farming, and he says: “It’s not about ‘feeling good’ or ‘enjoyment’ because this is a habit and a part of my DNA now. My forefathers were into farming and even I did the same initially -- for close to 25 years of my life. When I moved to Mumbai, it -- of course -- came to a halt but whenever I have gone back to my village, I have always indulged in farming. Honestly, it gives me a lot of peace of mind, and plus, it all also comes very naturally.”
That’s why Siddiqui doesn’t even believe in the fact that farming ‘keeps me grounded.’ “The reality is that this is me, and that’s what I am. So, there’s no question of it keeping me rooted or grounded. My grandfather, I have been told, would till the field himself with a wooden plough. Later, tractors etc. came in, so I am aware of my past and present as well. When I am in Mumbai and doing films/shows, that’s an absolutely different aspect of my life which is something also that I enjoy a lot,” says the actor, adding: “Gaon mein hamaari extended family ke kaafi pushtaani khet hain abhi bhi.”
Ask Siddiqui what he is helping grow right now, and he says: “I have had experience of every kind of crop. In the past, I have helped sow, grow, cut and even clean various crops such as wheat, rice, sugarcane, jowar and bajra etc. In the video, I was making arrangements to water the jowar crop. Itni garmi mein jowar bahut acche se grow karta hai,” says the actor, who has also been taking out to dub for Sudhir Mishra’s Netflix project, Serious Men (an adaptation of Manu Joseph’s book of the same name) at home.
As for farming, Siddiqui feels his stint with farming has -- sometimes -- also helped him professionally. “Once I am done with my work in tough, mentally-challenging films such as Raman Raghav 2.0 or Manjhi: The Mountain Man, I love to come back to my village, do some farming, clean my mind and would then go back to Mumbai, and on to my next film, like a clean slate,” he concludes.
