Looking good was never on my agenda: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui today said he never focused on his looks, but did get hurt when people judged him by his appearance.

Netizens got into a tizzy yesterday when Siddiqui, 43, in a cryptic tweet, purportedly responded to an interview by casting director Sanjay Chouhan, in which he said that he could not cast "fair and handsome" people opposite the actor.

Siddiqui tweeted, "Thank you for making me realise that I cannot be paired along with the fair and handsome because I'm dark and not good looking, but I never focus on that."

In an interview with PTI, Nawaz confirmed his tweet was in response to Chouhan's remarks, the casting director of his upcoming film "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz".
 

"People have their own perceptions. If a casting director thinks that he can't cast a fair and handsome actor opposite me, it is his problem. I don't focus or get bothered by what others think about my looks. But such things do hurt me," Siddiqui said.

The "Badlapur" star, who struggled for more than a decade before making a mark in the industry, said he never paid attention to his appearance though he was told that he would never become an actor because of the way he looked.

"I have never given a thought to it that I am not a good- looking guy. My purpose is to do justice to my role. I started doing theatre in 1990. I was doing it till 2000 and my focus was always on my craft. Looking good was never on my agenda."

Siddiqui said it would be wrong to blame the industry alone for such attitude as the bias towards fair is prevalent in the country everywhere.

"It is not only about the film industry. This is the mindset of our society. For instance, when I was in my village and I said, 'I want to be an actor', people would say 'have you ever seen yourself in the mirror?' I have always been told that. But I kept working hard. If you are focused, these comments don't matter."

The actor said it bothered him that people are constantly reminded about their physical appearance.

"People say get a fair wife... I feel why? Aren't dark girls beautiful? In our society, there is this weird concept of beauty and good looks. This perception of conventionally good looking is forced on us," he said.