‘Deserving actors are given supporting roles’: Nawazuddin reflects on Bollywood dynamics

Known for his unfiltered take on the inner workings of the Hindi film industry, acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has once again voiced his frustrations—this time targeting the lack of genuine relationships in Bollywood and the sidelining of deserving talents.

Speaking to SCREEN's Creators X Creators segment on the occasion of his 50th birthday, Nawazuddin stated that real friendships do not exist in the industry. "There's no friendship here. Today it's one person, tomorrow it's another—everything is need-based," he remarked, adding that his true friends are those he made during his early struggles, not within the industry itself.

He pointed to a prevailing sense of insecurity among actors, which, according to him, prevents any sense of camaraderie or unity. "There is a club that remains distant. It's not a collective or strong industry," he observed.

Turning his attention to casting practices, the actor criticised the trend of selecting performers who, in his view, lack proper training or professional calibre. 

"Only in our industry are unreliable actors somehow made to act," he noted. "Elsewhere, only trained professionals are taken seriously."

Nawazuddin expressed frustration that audiences often grow used to poor performances, eventually accepting them as improved. "If a capable actor had been given those 15 films, their potential would have been something else entirely," he said, stressing that talented actors are frequently limited to supporting or character roles. "That's what makes me angry," he added.

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