Nawazuddin Siddiqui says he isn’t a fan of Bollywood romances: ‘They never inspired me’

In an interview with indianexpress.com, Nawazuddin insists he was a never a fan of the “filmy Bollywood” romance and cannot understand how it runs on scenarios devoid of logic– or reality.

“I was never a fan of Bollywood filmy romance. Aapke bachpan ki jo films hogi (the kind of films you would have watched in your childhood), I was never inspired from them. I got inspired by the romance in local trains, in the lanes of my village, in the mohallas I grew up in. The kind of romance that truly happens in our country, where a boy, after a day of toiling hard, romances wearing a shirt drenched in sweat, I get inspired by that romance, not the filmy one.”

The actor says he is appalled and puzzled by the complete erasure of rooted romance from the screens. In his upcoming film Jogira Sara Ra Ra, the actor is trying his hand at showcasing what romance in a small town can look like.

“We have never shown that romance in our films, which is why it is so far removed from reality. The romance that industry talks about, it doesn’t happen at all. That ek banda guitar baja raha hai sadak pe aur dus log aagaye— where do they come from and where do they go? It is beyond my understanding!”

Bollywood romances may not have worked for Nawazuddin, but the big screens dramas definitely inspired him to become an actor– from Sholay’s Gabbar Singh, Parinda’s Anna Seth to Bhiku Mhatre of Satya. Nawazuddin says if people are not backing good films theatrically, then that’s a problem as one gets to appreciate and immerse in performances better when watched on the big screen.

Swearing by the love of cinema and then downloading films for a leisure watch can’t go hand in hand, the actor adds. “Ye hona toh nahi chahiye tha, they should have gone to cinema halls. Good films should always be watched in cinema halls. If your loyal audience is watching you after downloading your films on torrent, then there is some problem in that loyalty. We grew up watching films on the big screen and the specialty of that was that a big screen allows you to immerse yourself in characters, you would fall in love with those characters.

“On the small screen, you don’t watch the characters or go in their depts, you just follow the story. If anyone wants to be an actor in the country, or wants to love cinema, you will have to watch films on the big screen only. That offers depth in characters, which doesn’t work in small screen. The performances that inspired me to become an actor were all watched by me on the big screen- from Parinda, Sholay, Bandit Queen, Satya. If I had seen these films on the small screen, their impact would have been lesser,” he added.

Co-starring Neha Sharma and directed by Kushan Nandy, Jogira Sara Ra Ra is scheduled to release on May 26.