In a candid and refreshingly simple conversation on Catch The Stars with Rohan Dua on The New Indian, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui opens up to Rohan Dua about his minimalist lifestyle, indifference towards luxury, food habits rooted in childhood, life in Muzaffarnagar, and the constant pressure of work that often forces him to run away just to feel normal again.
Q: People often wonder why you’ve always remained slim. Is it diet, exercise, or discipline?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
I think it was around 9–10 days ago when I last shaved. I had gone to Lisztas for acting.
There are three to four books on acting techniques there. I am reading them right now.
Q: There’s a popular belief that your hairstyle hasn’t changed since 1999. Is that true?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
To be honest, I don’t really focus on these things.
I don’t focus much on costume designers, hair designers, or styling in general.
Q: Are you a car person or a bike person?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
I am neither a car person nor a bike person.
I am a walking person.
Q: What is the most expensive thing you have bought in the last 25 years?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Home is the most expensive.
Q: How many cars do you own today?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
It doesn’t matter how many cars I have.
Q: When was your last proper vacation—solo, with friends, or with family?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
My vacations are not planned like that.
I usually go for festivals where there is three to four days of work. After that, I stay back. A week ago, I was in New York—it was a three to four day work trip, but I stayed there for 10–12 days. That’s how my vacations are.
Q: Do you have strong food preferences?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Frankly speaking, I don’t have any particular taste in food.
When I am at home, I eat very simple food. My mother has just come, so she cooks dishes I liked as a child—like bitter gourd, carrot, and lentils.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you reach your village in Muzaffarnagar?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
First, I go to my farm.
I keep my things at home, take a bath, and then immediately run to my farm. I have made a hut there.
Q: Where can one usually find Nawazuddin Siddiqui when he’s not shooting?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
If I am not shooting, then I am in meetings.
I have taken away my right to vacations. Even today, it’s meetings, shooting, narrations—everything goes on continuously.
Q: Has there ever been a moment when you felt like escaping from work?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Yes. The last time I was shooting, I suddenly felt that I don’t want to shoot anymore.
I told my brother that I don’t want to do it now. I ran to New York. It was supposed to be just three to four days, but I stayed there for two weeks. That’s when I felt a little relaxed.
Q: What is the first thing you do after waking up in the morning?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Sir, I can’t tell you that. (laughs)
Q: And the last thing you do before going to sleep?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
I meet everyone, and then I go to my room.
Q: Is there something you still want to do creatively that you haven’t done in the last 25 years?
Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Yes. I want to do something that I have had in mind for a long time.
Maybe I will have to write it myself or get it written. Whatever it is, I will have to do it on my own.
