Nawazuddin Siddiqui (born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is known for his roles in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), The Lunchbox (2013), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), and Manto (2018), among others. As many as eight films in which he features have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He has won numerous awards, including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Filmfare OTT Awards.
Early life
Siddiqui was born on 19 May 1974 in Budhana, a small town in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India, into a Zamindari Muslim family of Lambardars. He is the eldest of eight siblings. He spent most of his youth in Uttarakhand.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar. Following this, he worked as a chemist in Vadodara for a year, before leaving for Delhi in search of a new job. Once in Delhi, he was instantly drawn to acting after watching a play. In pursuit of securing admission to the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi, he acted in over ten plays with a group of friends, including one in Dehradun, to fulfill one of the criteria for admission.
He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Siddiqui’s feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in Patang (2012). He gained international recognition for his work in Black Friday (2007), Kahaani (2011), the 2012 Gangs of Wasseypur duology, and Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016). The actor has won several awards, including a National Film Award, an IIFA Award, and two Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for an International Emmy. He has starred in two Emmy-nominated series, Sacred Games (2019) and the British McMafia.
Personal life
Siddiqui has been married twice. He was in a relationship with a woman named Anjana Kishor Pandey, which ended in 2007. Siddiqui then married a woman named Sheeba, a marriage that did not last long, and the couple divorced in 2010. By this time, Siddiqui was dating a woman from New Jersey named Suzanne, and he also had a brief relationship with Niharika Singh, a former Miss India, with whom he co-starred in two films.
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Siddiqui later reconnected with Pandey, and after she converted to Islam and changed her first name to Aalia, they married and had two children, a daughter and a son. The marriage soon went downhill, however, and in May 2020, Aalia Siddiqui announced on social media that she was seeking a divorce.
Siddiqui lives in Mumbai with his younger brother, Shamas Nawab, an aspiring film director. When not busy acting, he likes to spend time in his hometown of Budhana, where he owns a farm. In a May 2021 interview, he revealed that he now spends the major part of his time there.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Height Age Girlfriend Wife Family Biography
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Nowaz |
| Profession | Actor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 168 cm in meters– 1.68 m in feet inches– 5’ 6” |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film: Sarfarosh (1999) TV: Parsai Kehte Hain (2001; on DD National) |
| Awards, Honours | 2012: National Film Awards in the category of “Special Jury Award” for the films- Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Dekh Indian Circus 2013: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film “Lunchbox” |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 19 May 1974 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 49 Years |
| Birthplace | Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Signature/Autograph |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| School | B. S. S. Inter College Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh |
| College/University | • Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakand • The National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor of Science in Chemistry |
| Religion | Islam Note: He considers himself not just a Muslim, but a bit of all religions. Huffpost |
| Caste/Sect | Sunni |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Address | A 3-bedroom sea-facing apartment in Versova, Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Flying Kites, Watching Films, Farming |
| Controversies | • In October 2017, his former girlfriends Sunita Rajwar and actress Niharika Singh (who co-starred with him in Miss Lovely) accused him of misrepresenting facts in his biography- An Ordinary Life: A Memoir. Following the heavy criticism, Nawaz announced he’s withdrawing his biography, few days after its release. A complaint against Nawazuddin was made with the National Commission for Women (NCW). Niharika Singh’s advocate Gautam Gulati, on behalf of Niharika, lodged a complaint against Nawazuddin for “outraging the modesty of the actress.” • In December 2017, Nawazuddin’s alleged first girlfriend, Sunita Rajwar, also sued him for defaming her in his memoir. According to Sunita, Nawaz mentioned in his book that Sunita dumped him because he was not successful and wrongly portrayed her as someone “who drove Nawaz to think of committing suicide.” Reportedly. Miss Rajwar sent him a legal notice and asked for compensation of Rs 2 crore for allegedly attempting to damage her image. However, the actor retaliated with a counter-notice, calling Sunita’s case a “mere stunt for cheap publicity.” He said that the Sunita in the memoir was not Sunita Rajwar (but some other Sunita). NDTV • In July 2018, Rajeev Sinha, a Congress politician from the West Bengal, lodged an F.I.R. against Nawazuddin and the producers of the Netflix web series, Sacred Games for defaming the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and also, for taking the level of Bollywood to a new low. • Legal battle with estranged wife Aaliya: In May 2020, he received a divorce notice from his wife Aaliya (aka Anjali). While speaking to Indian Express, Aaliya said that their marriage was in troubled waters for the past one decade, and she was seeking an opportunity to end the marriage, which came in the form of lockdown. She didn’t disclose much behind the reason for the divorce notice and said, “I won’t be able to speak on the issues right away, but yes, we have been having problems from the last ten years. Now, during the lockdown, I got thinking and thought I had to end this marriage. I had sent him the notice much before he left for Muzaffarpur, and he has not yet replied to my notice, so I have to take a legal route now.” NDTV In January 2023, the advocate of Aaliya Siddiqui alleged that his client was not provided ‘food, bed, bathroom to take bath’ by Nawazuddin and his family members. In a statement, Aaliya Siddiqui’s advocate Rizwan Siddiquee said, “Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members did everything possible to remove my client Mrs Aaliya Siddiqui from the house. They filed an untenable criminal complaint of trespass against her. Thereafter, through the police they threatened to arrest her and were calling her each day to the police station, after sunset.” While not blaming the police directly for their actions, the advocate added, “Whilst, I do not want to directly attribute the actions and the failures of the police department to them, yet the fact remains that no police officer ever came to protect my clients rights, even when her modesty was insulted before the police officers. Not only her relationship with Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui was questioned before the police officer, but even the legitimacy of the minor son was questioned. Yet the police officer did not act on the written complaint given by my client under Section 509 of IPC.” While elaborating the atrocities against his client by the actor and his family, the advocate said, “Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members have in the last seven days ensured that no food, no bed, and no bathroom to take bath is given to my client. They have even posted innumerable male bodyguards all around my client and further installed CCTV cameras in the hall, where my client is currently staying with her minor children. To add to all of this, they even ensured that I do not obtain any signatures of my client to file appropriate court cases against Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members. Despite being stopped and threatened at multiple levels and no police officer coming to the aid of my client, me and my team managed to obtain signatures of my client for the court cases. Accordingly, multiple cases are being filed in the courts now.”Hindustan Times In an interview, he claimed that Aaliya was married to someone else, before she got married to him, and she portrayed herself as an unmarried woman to him. The Indian Express • Defamation case against estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui and brother Shamasuddin: On 20 March 2023, Nawazuddin filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against his estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui and brother Shamasuddin, accusing them of cheating; however, the following day, he sought settlement with his estranged wife and sent a “settlement draft” to his wife Aaliya’s lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee. Later, Aaliya’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee talked about this and said, “Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, through his advocates, has sent me a draft of the terms of settlement. The same was sent last evening. I am now in the process of discussing the same with my client. I assure that from my side, I am trying to fully ensure that all disputes between the parties end once and for all; and that both parties as parents concentrate on the well-being of their minor children and work towards securing their future. As far as the defamation suit filed by Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the High Court is concerned, I can only say that we have not been served any copy of the same as yet, but in any event the suit was filed prior to the settlement proposed by Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and therefore withdrawal of the same will automatically become an integral part of the settlement.” India Today • Hurting Bengali community with Sprite ad: In April 2023, a case was filed against him in Kolkata for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Bengali community. The Sprite ad was originally shot in Hindi; however, a Kolkata-based lawyer objected to a line in its Bengali version. In its new promotional campaign, the soft drink brand allowed consumers to scan the QR code and listen to jokes. In the Bengali version of the ad, the actor was seen laughing at one of the jokes, which says, ‘shoja anguley ghee na uthley, Bangali khali petey ghumiye porey.’ In English, it means that if Bengalis don’t get anything easily, they sleep hungry, which, according to the complainant, hurt the sentiments of the Bengali community. After the complaint, the company pulled down the Bengali version of the ad featuring Nawazuddin and issued a note that read, “Sprite India regrets the recent ad campaign for the cold drink and that the company respects the Bengali language.” Hindustan Times |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | • Sunita Rajwar (Actress) • Niharika Singh (actress) • Anjali |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Anjali Kishor Pandey (aka Aaliya) (aka Anjana) (m. 2010; div. 2023) Hindustan Times |
| Children | Son– Yaani Daughter– Shora |
| Parents | Father– Late Nawabuddin Siddiqui (a farmer) Mother– Mehroonisa |
| Siblings | Brother(s)– Shamas Nawab Siddiqui (filmmaker), Ayazuddin Siddiqui and 5 more Sister(s)– Syama Tamshi Siddiqui (died in December 2019 at 26 after battling breast cancer) & 1 more |
| Favourites | |
| Actor(s) | Amitabh Bachchan, Ashish Vidyarthi |
| Actress | Sridevi |
| Film | Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief (1948) |
| Destination(s) | Jaisalmer, Rajasthan |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car(s) Collection | • Ford Ikon • Ford Endeavor (SUV) |
| Assets/Properties | • A one-bedroom flat in Zohra Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai • In January 2022, he completed the construction of a new bungalow in Mumbai. Interestingly, the house is a replica of his native house in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, and the actor himself designed the house. Reportedly, it took him three years to complete the construction of the house that he has named after his father, Nawab, who died in 2015 at the age of 72. The Tribune |
Career
Siddiqui went to the National School of Drama in New Delhi. After graduating in 1999, he moved to Mumbai.
He made his Bollywood debut in the year 1999 with a small role in the Aamir Khan starrer Sarfarosh. He then appeared in Ram Gopal Varma’s 1999 film Shool and the 2000 film Jungle, as well as Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS (2003). After moving to Mumbai, he tried to get work in television serials but did not achieve much success. He did a short film, The Bypass, in 2003, where he appeared with Irrfan Khan. Beyond that, between 2002 and 2005, he was largely out of work and lived in a flat that he shared with four other people, surviving by conducting occasional acting workshops. In 2004, which was one of the worst years of his struggle, Siddiqui couldn’t pay rent. He asked an NSD senior if he could stay with him. The senior allowed him to share his apartment in Goregaon suburb if he was willing to cook meals for him.
Between 2004 and 2007, Siddiqui had a few minor roles, including in the film Black Friday, which came out in 2007 and was a nominee for the Golden Leopard. In 2009, he appeared in a cameo role in the song “Emotional Atyachar” in the movie Dev D, playing the role of Rangila. He performed a duet with Rasila (known together as Patna ke Presley). In the same year, he appeared in New York. However, it was his role of a journalist in Anusha Rizvi’s 2010 film Peepli Live, that first got him wide recognition as an actor. In 2012, he appeared in Prashant Bhargava’s Patang: The Kite, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. Siddiqui’s performance was praised by film critic Roger Ebert, who stated that the role “transformed his acting style” and he awarded the actor the ‘Thumbsup Trophy’. The film was subsequently released in the U.S. and Canada and garnered much attention, with rave reviews from The New York Times.
Siddiqui then appeared in the 2012 film Kahaani, in which he played the archetypal short-tempered intelligence officer Khan. Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic Gangs of Wasseypur followed, which furthered the actor’s fame. He played his first primary role as Sonu Duggal in Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, which premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, a role Siddiqui describes as his “most real performance so far”. Siddiqui then followed this with the sequel to Gangs of Wasseypur. In 2013, he played the lead role in the horror flick Aatma. The Lunchbox premiered as part of the International Critics’ Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and won him multiple awards. He appeared in Aamir Khan’s 2012 release Talaash. He received the Special Jury Award at the 2012 National Film Awards and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2013 for The Lunchbox. In 2014, he played the lead antagonist Shiv Gajra in the blockbuster Kick.
In 2015, Siddiqui’s films Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Manjhi – The Mountain Man were released, and he was praised for his roles. His work in Raman Raghav 2.0 in 2016 won him the Fancine Malaga Award in Spain and in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, both in the category of Best Actor. The 2018 film Manto was a groundbreaking performance that won him Best Actor at the 2018 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Celebrated author Paulo Coelho has recommended Sacred Games to his Twitter followers and lauded Nawazuddin’s work, calling it “One of the best series on Netflix with the great actor Nawazuddin”.
In 2021, he was seen in the American-Bangladeshi-Indian film No Land’s Man.
In 2022, Siddiqui appeared in Heropanti 2.
In 2023, he starred in Afwaah alongside Bhumi Pednekar, in Jogira Sara Ra Ra opposite Neha Sharma, and in Kangana Ranaut’s Tiku Weds Sheru, opposite Avneet Kaur.
Accolades
Siddiqui’s first lead role in a feature film was in Prashant Bhargava’s Patang, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, in which his performance has been praised by noted film critic Roger Ebert (awarding the film 4/4 stars), who stated that the role “transformed his acting style”.
Siddiqui was awarded the Special Jury Award at the 60th National Film Awards 2012 for his work in the films Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Dekh Indian Circus, and Talaash.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sarfarosh | Terrorist / Informer | |
| Shool | Waiter | ||
| 2000 | Jungle | Khabri (messenger) | |
| Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar | Leader | ||
| 2003 | The Bypass | First bandit | |
| Mudda – The Issue | |||
| Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | Pickpocketer | ||
| 2006 | Family | Nawaz | |
| 2007 | Aaja Nachle | ||
| Ek Chalis Ki Last Local | Ponnappa’s brother | ||
| Manorama Six Feet Under | Local goon | ||
| Black Friday | Asgar Mukadam | ||
| 2008 | Black & White | Tahir Tayyabuddin | |
| 2009 | Firaaq | Hanif | |
| New York | Zilgai | ||
| Dev.D | Singer at wedding | Special appearance in the song “Emotional” | |
| 2010 | Peepli Live | Rakesh Kapoor | |
| 2011 | Dekh Indian Circus | Jethu | |
| 2012 | Kahaani | IB Officer A. Khan | |
| Patang | Chakkku | ||
| Paan Singh Tomar | Gopi | ||
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Faizal Khan | Lions Favorite Actor | |
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | |||
| Chittagong | Nirmal Sen | ||
| Talaash: The Answer Lies Within | Taimur | Asian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Miss Lovely | Sonu Duggal | ||
| 2013 | Aatma – Feel It Around You | Abhay | |
| Bombay Talkies | Purandar | ||
| Shorts | Unnamed | ||
| Liar’s Dice | Nawazuddin | ||
| Monsoon Shootout | Shiva | ||
| The Lunchbox | Shaikh | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa | Anwar | ||
| 2014 | Kick | Shiv Gajra | |
| 2015 | Lateef | Lateef | |
| Badlapur | Liak | ||
| Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Chand Nawab | ||
| Manjhi – The Mountain Man | Dashrath Manjhi | ||
| 2016 | Raman Raghav 2.0 | Ramanna | Best Performance by an Actor at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards |
| Te3n | Father Martin Das | ||
| Lion | Rama | ||
| Freaky Ali | Ali | ||
| 2017 | Haraamkhor | Shyam | |
| Raees | SP Jaideep Ambalal Majmudar | ||
| In Defence of Freedom | Saadat Hasan Manto | Short film | |
| Mom | Daya Shankar “DK” Kapoor | ||
| Munna Michael | Mahinder Fauji | ||
| Babumoshai Bandookbaaz | Babu Bihari | ||
| Carbon: The Story of Tomorrow | Man from Mars | Short film | |
| 2018 | Mukkabaaz | Himself | Guest appearance in the song “Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye” |
| Genius | Samar Khan | ||
| Manto | Saadat Hasan Manto | Best Performance by an Actor at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards GQ Men of the Year award. | |
| 2019 | Petta | Singaar Singh / Singaram | Tamil film |
| Thackeray | Bal Thackeray | ||
| Photograph | Rafiullah / ‘Rafi’ | ||
| Housefull 4 | Ramsey Baba | ||
| Roam Rome Mein | Raj | ||
| Motichoor Chaknachoor | Pushpender Tyagi | ||
| 2020 | Ghoomketu | Ghoomketu | |
| Raat Akeli Hai | Jatil Yadav | Filmfare OTT Award (Best Actor-Male Web Originals) | |
| Serious Men | Ayyan Mani | Filmfare OTT Award (Best Actor-Male Web Originals) Pending—International Emmy Award for Best Actor | |
| 2021 | No Land’s Man | Naveen/ Sameer | Bangladeshi film |
| 2022 | Heropanti 2 | Laila Saran | |
| 2023 | Afwaah | Rahab Ahmed | |
| Jogira Sara Ra Ra | Jogi Pratap | ||
| Tiku Weds Sheru | Shiraz “Sheru” Khan Afghani | ||
| Saindhav † | Vikas Malik | Telugu film; Filming | |
| TBA | Adbhut † | TBA | Filming |
| TBA | Haddi † | Haddi | |
| TBA | Noorani Chehra † | TBA | Completed |
| TBA | Bole Chudiyan † | Nawab | |
| TBA | Sangeen † | TBA | Post-production |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CID | Alex | Episode: “The Case of the Elusive Killer” |
| 2018 | McMafia | Dilly Mahmood | 2 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Sacred Games | Ganesh Gaitonde | 16 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Singer |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Baarish Ki Jaaye | B Praak |
| 2023 | Yaar Ka Sataya Hua Hai |