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Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about how fortunate he feels to live and work in India, where he is accepted and loved with open arms by the public. He said this in response to being asked if his Muslim identity has impacted his career in any way. Nawaz said that it hasn’t, regardless of what some of his colleagues in the film industry might say. He also said that it is vital for the Muslim community to focus on education, because he understands its value personally, being the first person from his family to hold a graduate degree.
Appearing on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Nawaz said that he has ‘zero interest’ in politics and cricket, but was immediately asked why he chose to play the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in a biopic. He said, “I’m happy to play political characters.” Asked if he received backlash from the Muslim community for playing the politician, he said, “There was some, but not a lot.”
When Nawaz was asked if there is discrimination between Hindus and Muslims in the film industry, he said, “Not at all. In fact, the rest of society should learn from Bollywood… Do you know that Anupam Kher respects Naseeruddin Shah a lot as far as acting is concerned? All I can say is that communal politics isn’t something that I…” Asked if he himself has faced discrimination because of his Muslim identity, Nawaz said, “Never.”
He explained, “I’m a part of this industry. My country is beautiful. The love and respect I get here, I wouldn’t get anywhere else. I’m overjoyed to be among common people because of the love they shower on me, regardless of their own background. You wouldn’t see this anywhere else in the world. I’ve travelled to the interiors of our country; I don’t know what they show in the news, but the people of our country are beautiful, they’re innocent.”
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali was was similarly cornered in an interview with Aaj Tak in 2019. Asked if he can continue working while ‘ignoring’ his Muslim identity, Imtiaz replied, “I cannot ignore that I’m from Jamshedpur. I cannot ignore that I went to Hindu college. I cannot ignore that I live in Mumbai. There are lots of things that I cannot ignore. And why should I ignore any of this? I’m not ashamed. I can continue working in this industry, fully aware of each aspect of my identity.” In an article for the Indian Express published in 2019, Nawaz’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan director Kabir Khan had written, “I have never been more aware of my Muslim identity than I am today because it had never been never rubbed in my face before.”
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