Nawazuddin Siddiqui asks ‘cinema kahan hai’ after recent big budget hits: ‘Skills be damned’

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has taken a dig at the recent big-budget films, adding that these only create awe and shock. In a new interview, Nawazuddin said that these are visual experiences and asked where is the true cinema. He added that he still feels that there has been no change and superficial entertainment trumps skills in films. Nawazuddin also said that such big-budget films take over theatres which left him wondering if small budget films will get theatre releases. The actor thanked OTT platforms saying that it’s here where he can watch good films. (Also Read | Nawazuddin Siddiqui: I was offered 200 scripts in the last three months, I selected only five)

Recently, big-budget films such as SS Rajamouli’s RRR and Prashanth Neel’s KGF Chapter 2 were released in theatres. KGF 2, which released on April 14, earned ₹134.50 crore on its opening day. It crossed the ₹700 crore mark in worldwide earnings as it completed one week of its release. RRR, released on March 25, collected ₹246 crore at the box office in four weeks. It also entered the ₹1,000 crore club worldwide within 16 days of its release. Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, released in March, became the first Hindi film to cross the ₹250 crore mark at the box office. It is a small budget film and features Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, Puneet Issar, Mrinal Kulkarni.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Nawazuddin refused when asked if the concept of the main lead is changing in commercial cinema. He also replied when asked about playing lead character in Thackeray. He said, “I don’t think it’s changing…I played lead in Manto too but how many people are there to watch it? I thought after pandemic of two years people might have watched world cinema and there will be a change. But jiss tarah ki picture abhi hit ho rahi hain aisa lagta ke salahiyat gayi tel lene, yaha entertain karo aur superficial level pe entertain karo logo ko (The films that are being hits now, it looks like skills be damned, entertain people on superficial levels).”

He also said that it’s a struggle for ‘good, modest, small budget films’ to get released in theatres as only big-budget films get released in theatres. Speaking about such films he added, “Such movies dazzle and create awe, that planes are put in water and fishes are made to fly. These are visual experiences that even I like to watch but where is cinema? When you watch films like CODA, King Richard, and some good films on OTT, thank God OTT has saved us, then you feel relieved that good films are being made. I think children like these shocking films. A young mind is a progressive mind. We should have been more progressive after two years, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

Meanwhile, Nawazuddin will be seen next in the action-thriller Heropanti 2. The film, all set to release on April 29, also features Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria in the lead roles. Heropanti 2 presents Tiger’s character Babloo who will be seen locking horns with Nawazuddin’s Laila in a bid to stop cyber crimes across the world. The film has been written by Rajat Arora and directed by Ahmed Khan.