Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, isn’t in the mood to sugarcoat things — and frankly, that’s why we love him.

In a brutally honest chat for Indian Express SCREEN’s ‘Creators X Creators’ segment, the powerhouse performer opened up about the glitzy illusion of friendship in Bollywood, the club-like nature of the industry, and why he thinks untrained actors are flooding the screen while real talent sits in the sidelines.

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“There’s no such thing as real friendship in this industry,” Nawaz admitted, not mincing words. “Friendships here run on convenience — today it’s one person, tomorrow someone else. I only have real friends from the time I was still struggling. Not from here.”

This isn’t the first time the ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ star has taken a jab at the inner workings of the film industry. But this time, he dug even deeper — calling out what he sees as a lack of loyalty and genuine camaraderie among actors.

 

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“Everyone’s insecure,” he said. “That’s why no one really bonds or stands by each other. It’s all about survival.”

And it’s not just friendships that Nawazuddin is disappointed with. He also voiced his frustration with the way casting works today — or doesn’t, rather. According to him, trained, deserving actors are constantly overlooked in favour of those with less skill but more screen appeal.

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“There’s no place for professional actors here,” he said bluntly. “People who can’t even act properly are pushed into lead roles. And they’re somehow made to pass as actors. That doesn’t happen in other industries — there, only trained actors make it to the big screen.”

Nawaz also pointed out how repeated exposure to mediocre performances has made audiences numb to quality. “Viewers get used to a bad actor. By their 15th film, you think they’ve improved — but only compared to their own earlier bad work. Imagine if a deserving actor had done those 15 films — we’d be looking at brilliance.”

He didn’t shy away from expressing his anger about how serious, skilled actors often get stuck playing supporting or background roles, while the spotlight is taken by others who’ve simply learned to survive the system.

Despite all that, Nawazuddin Siddiqui continues to do the kind of work he believes in. He was last seen in ‘Costao’ on Zee5, directed by Sejal Shah, and he’s got more coming soon — including ‘Raat Akeli Hai 2’ and ‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’.