Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalls when Salman Khan told him the difference between a star and an actor, using a metaphor: ‘When an actor threads a needle…’

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Salman Khan first teamed up for the actioner Kick, followed by Bajrangi Bhaijaan in 2015.

Mumbai | May 20, 2023 02:22 PM IST

3 min read

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and superstar Salman Khan in a still from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui said that no one has articulated the difference between an actor and a star better than Salman Khan. Nawazuddin said that the superstar shared the nugget with him when they were filming their acclaimed drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Nawazuddin and Salman first teamed up for the actioner Kick, followed by Bajrangi Bhaijaan in 2015. During the filming of the project, directed by Kabir Khan, Nawazuddin told Mashable India that he had asked Salman the difference between an actor and a star.

He said in Hindi, “I was shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijan at a dargah in Kashmir with Bhai. We were sitting together on the steps. There was still some time for the scene to be shot. So, I asked him, ‘Bhai actor aur star mein kya farak hota hai‘. He said, ‘Look, if an actor and a star are given the task of threading a needle, an actor will do it with focus, sincerity and full concentration. But a star–or I–won’t put thread in a needle but will think who else will do it. Main gh***a sui mein dhaaga nahi daaluga (There is no way I am going to do that myself).”

Nawazuddin said he completely resonated with Salman’s statement, which he felt accurately identified the difference between the two. The actor said that in India, people will pay to watch their beloved star on screen, just to experience their “swag”.

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“The swag, that attitude is important. I found the statement to be correct. Superstars ki jo aadayein hoti hai, wohi toh dekhne jaate hai hum log. We don’t expect acting from them, but their USP, their style, that’s what people go to watch them for. People like that attitude. The difference, Salman told me, is the exact definition of a star and an actor,” he added.

On the film front, Nawazuddin has a packed May with two films– Afwaah and Jogira Sara Ra Ra. While the Sudhir Mishra directorial released in the first week of the month, Jogira Sara Ra Ra is scheduled to hit the screens on May 26. The romantic-comedy also stars Neha Sharma.

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