Nawazuddin: People say, get a fair wife. Aren't dark girls beautiful?

Nawazuddin Siddiqui responds to statement of 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' casting director that the actor can't be paired with 'fair and handsome' people

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Netizens got into a tizzy after Nawazuddin Siddiqui posted a cryptic tweet late on Monday night. He allegedly responded to an interview by casting director Sanjay Chouhan, in which the latter said that he could not cast "fair and handsome" people opposite the actor.

"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," the actor tweeted.
"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, shedding light on the controversy.

The actor, who struggled for more than a decade before making a mark in the industry, said he was told he would never make it in Bollywood because of his looks. "My purpose is to do justice to my role. I started doing theatre in 1990, I did it till 2000 and my focus has always been on my craft. Looking good was never my agenda."

Yet, Siddiqui said it would be wrong to blame the industry for the bias towards fair individuals, since the tendency to hold them on a pedastal is prevalent everywhere in the country. "It is not only about the film industry. This is the mindset of our society. For instance, when I was in my village and told people that I wanted to become 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."

Siddiqui said he is often bothered when people are constantly reminded about their physical appearance. "People say, get a fair wife. I wonder why? Aren't dark girls beautiful? In our society, there is this weird concept of beauty and good looks."

'I was misunderstood'
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz casting director Sanjay Chouhan said yesterday that he never made the 'fair and handsome' remark about actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, that has led to a controversy.

Chouhan, in an interview, had apparently said that after Chitrangada Singh quit the film, they had to find an actor who could look good opposite Siddiqui as they "can't cast fair and handsome people with Nawaz. It would look weird." The casting director clarified that he has been misunderstood.

"All I said was the film needed actors as good as Nawazuddin. I don't know from where the ' fair and handsome' bit came but I never said the words," Chouhan said.

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