Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Even if a bad film is released in 5000 screens, it will make 20-30 crore on day one

The actor, who has four films lined up in 2021, says OTT has no monopoly and the viewership for actors and superstars is the same.

After a terrific 2020 with releases like Raat Akeli Hai and Serious Men, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is gearing up to shoot as many four films in the coming months. He is in London shooting for his next film Sangeen, and admits that cases are rising daily there but they are shooting in a secure enviornment and taking all precautions. “Shooting during Covid-19 times is tough. I was a bit scared and wondered how things would be. But thankfully, all the precautions are being taken and we are in the outskirts so there aren’t many people around,” says the actor, who will fly to Lucknow next to shoot Jogira with Neha Sharma.

After a terrific 2020 with releases like Raat Akeli and Serious Men, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is gearing up to shoot as many four films in the coming months.

“Iss saal filmein hi karni hai. Abhi OTT pe koi series nahin hai. After Sangeen, I will be shoot for a romantic drama Jogira and then there’s another film with producers of Serious Men, where I play a custom officer. I am glad to be doing films of different genre- romance, thriller, comedy too. I have given a lot of thought to my next projects,” he shares.

With the OTT boom and a number of mainstream actors opting for original OTT films, including Anil Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha and a number of movies releasing digitally, ask him how does he think this move affect experience of cinema and movie-making business and the actor replies, “I think cinema and OTT can coexist as both platforms are great in their own ways. OTT is liberating and democratic. Wahan monopoly nahin chalti, jo screens pe hoti hai. There is audience who wants to watch different kind of films but when such movies release in limited number of theatres, it gets difficult for them to reach its audience. Ek bakwas film bhi agar 5000 screen pe release ho toh, woh bhi 20-30 crore banayegi first day par. On OTT, the viewership for us and a superstar is the same. The viewer decides which movie they want to watch. I am glad that the star-system has been levelled to some extent on the digital platform as the audience is not just about 5000 screens but on a global level. The show or film that garners attention and audience is on a worldwide level, which is phenomenal.”

Since his breakout role, Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012, Siddiqui has proved his talent and versatility in many roles and web shows. Has he thought which direction does he want to take his career, now? “I don’t want to go into any other direction. Yehi theek se kar loon, bas wahi kaafi hai. When you create a character, there are a number of difficulties and you have to go through them to give a damdaar performance. Even today, I feel the same nervousness and insecurity that I felt in my first film. And I want to remain like that. I don’t want to change myself or think iam bigger than a character or film. It would be harmful for my growth. Butterflies in the stomach are good but they should be natural and not for the sake of it (laughs),” he grins.

Content on the web is not just globally watched but also get into trouble for various reasons. Web censorship is a topic that refuses to go away. Siddiqui feels there should not be any censorship. “There are passwords ….aur Jisko dekhna hai dekhe, jise naa dekhna ho who na dekhen. There could be a certification to inform audiences about the content and people can make their own choice. Har cheez pe censorship thodi na hoti hai,” he opines.