Nawazuddin Siddiqui is back home in his native town Budhana in Uttarakhand .
He explains, “This is where I was during the lockdown last year. This is where I am now when the Maharashtra Government has announced a lockdown again. For me this is heaven. For stretches you can only see green fields and cows grazing. I wish my children Shora and Yaani were here with me.”
So where are the children? “They were here with me in Budhana. But now they are in my farmhouse in Kasara near Mumbai where it is absolutely safe. They will be there until the lockdown is over and the pandemic subsides.”
Nawazuddin’s wife Aaliya had washed a lot of dirty linen in public last year, making serious allegations against Nawaz and his family. But she has now withdrawn all her complaints and wants to give their marriage another chance for the children’s sake.
Nawaz says, “I never said a word on this topic till now. I don’t have anything to say about this now. All I will say is, this is a time when the world is in a crisis. We need to stop worrying about our own little world and think about people out there who are suffering and dying all around us.For once, let us not think about ourselves.”
Nawaz says the current lockdown doesn’t affect him professionally. “From 2020 to April 2021, I completed two films Sangeen and Jogira Sa Ra Ra. I also finished a major portion of my brother Shamas’ film Bole Chudiya, shot a music video and and sang and shot for a song in Bole Chudiyan. I also shot for seven ads. This is enough work for the year. Even if I don’t get to work for the rest of the year I am okay with it.”
Nawaz promises some feelgood films this year. “Jogira Sa Ra ra and Bole Chudiya are lighthearted feelgood films. I am done with dark films about gangsters mouthing ma-bahen gaalis. This year when there is little to smile about in real life I want to give audiences films that make them smile.”
