Nawazuddin Siddiqui: In lockdown, people watched world cinema

Winning praise for Serious Men, Nawazuddin Siddiqui on how OTT boom has changed the audiences palate.

The year 2020 has seen Nawazuddin Siddiqui enjoy three digital releases in Ghoomketu, Raat Akeli Hai and Serious Men. If Honey Trehan's directorial debut was a moody murder mystery, Sudhir Mishra's screen adaptation of Manu Joseph's novel Serious Men brought out the glaring divide between the haves and the have-nots in the country.

Siddiqui, who won glowing reviews for his performance in the latter, says the digital medium has not only come as a breath of fresh air for artistes like him, but has also broadened the horizons of the audience. "[Until now] people used to watch romantic films that had the song-and-dance routine, a few stunts and a happy ending. Viewers felt this was all cinema could be as they had only been exposed to such films over the years. But in the lockdown, people started watching world cinema. Now, they are more educated about movies, and that will work in our favour. Actors like me, who indulged in films like Raman Raghav [2016] and Manto [2018], will be able to strike a balance."

Even as he champions offbeat cinema, the actor is attempting a mainstream romantic comedy with Shamas Siddiqui's Bole Chudiyan. "The romance depicted in Bollywood films is fake and I can't do that. I prefer realistic romances," he says.

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