On the Occasion of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Birthday, We are presenting his struggling story from a small village to getting into Bollywood.

He was born in Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India on 19th May 1974. He is the son of a farmer and growing up, he would swim in the same river his cows would bathe in. He is the eldest of his eight siblings. He graduated with B.Sc in Chemistry from Gurukul Kangri Vishwa Vidyalaya, Haridwar.

Siddiqui lives in Mumbai with his younger brother, Shamas Nawab Siddiqui who is a director. Nawazuddin is married to Anjali and they have a daughter, Shora, and a son who was born on the actor's 41st birthday.

He worked as a chemist before realizing he did not want to continue being one. He then moved to Delhi to study drama at the National School of Drama. To make ends meet, he also worked as a watchman in a building.

He moved to Mumbai in the mid-–˜90s and struggled to get roles as an extra for even Rs. 1,000. The only break that came his way was the small blink-and-you-miss role in –œSarfarosh–. That made him slightly more famous as an extra but got him no substantial roles.

In one of his interview, he said, "After graduating from National School of Drama, I started doing theatre in Delhi. But there was not much money in Hindi theatre. Maine Socha Bhukha Marna Hai Toh Mumbai Mein Jaake Marun. So, I came down to Mumbai. Coming from a small town, I didn't have big dreams".

"My biggest ambition was to find a job for myself. Time ke saath chalta gaya, hamare town mein batane wala koi tha nahin, I thought of starting out with bit roles in TV serials. Then came Ekta Kapoor and her hit formula was adopted by many. Tab ek episode ek hi din mein shoot karke channel ko bhejna padta tha. Par mere jaise actors ko lene se dedh din lag jata, kyunki zyada light lagana padta (laughs out loud)", he added.

The first movie he acted in was –œBindiya Maange Bandook,– a film that never saw the light of day. The first proper Bollywood role he got was as Tiger Memon–™s associate in the critically acclaimed –œBlack Friday–, the film about the 1992 Mumbai blasts.

He continued to act only in films where his role was substantial. He did not sign up for any movies other than those where he had a meaty role that allowed him to exhibit his talents. He also appeared in the movies Jungle and Munna Bhai M.B.B.S in the years 2000 and 2003 respectively.

The year 2004 was very difficult for him. He even didn–™t have any money to pay the rent. So he requested NSD senior if he could he stay with him. And he agreed for it but only if he cooks meals for him.

In the year 2009, continuously he played a role in the movies –“ –˜Dev D–™ & –˜New York–™ respectively. After that, he also worked in the Anusha Rizvi–™s –“ Peepli Live & Prashant Bhargava's –“ Patang: The Kite.

He then appeared in the year 2012 in the movie –“ Gangs Of Wasseypur following the movie –“ Kahani in which he played the role of an intelligence officer. He also did a sequel of Gangs of Wasseypur. Amir Khan–™s 2014 release Talaash & blockbuster movie –“ Kick followed.

He played a great role in Banjrangi Bhaijan as a news reporter & of –˜Dashrath Maanjhi'm in Maanjhi –“ The Mountain man. He also got an award for a film based in Gujarati titled –“ Haraamkhor.

He said, "It–™s a sense of satisfaction because I proved all of them wrong. All of them said –˜kya hero banega (how will he become a hero)–™ when I set out. When I go back now they say –˜isne toh karke dikhaya (he has done it)–™. I made it possible."

He got many awards for his great performance like Special Jury Award for the movie –“ –˜Talaash–™ in the year 2012 & Zee Cine Award for the best actor in a comic role for the movie –“ –˜Bajrangi Bhaijan–™ in the year 2015.

He was also nominated for many awards like Filmfare Award for best-supporting actor for the movies –“ –˜Badlapur–™ & –˜Mom–™ in the year 2015 & 2018 respectively & Stardust award for best-supporting actor for the film –“ –˜Gangs of Wasseypur–™.

-Thackeray

-Genius

-Manto

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