Nawazuddin Siddiqui has quit OTT (Photo: Nawazuddin Siddiqui/Instagram) Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui will quit working in productions made for the streaming market. He called the online platforms ‘a dumping ground for redundant shows’. In the past few years, there has been a surge in content on streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, Hotstar and Netflix. Coincidentally, Nawaz had starred in Netflix’s first Indian original series Sacred Games, which received international acclaim. He played the role of the hardened and dreaded gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, and received much praise for his performance. The series starred Saif Ali Khan as well.
In an interview to Bollywood Hungama, Nawaz said, “The platform has become a dumping ground for redundant shows. We either have shows that don’t deserve to be seen in the first place. Or sequels to shows that have nothing more to say,” he said.
He added, “It’s become ‘dhanda’ (Hindi for racket) for big production houses and actors. Major film producers in Bollywood have cut lucrative deals with all the big players in the OTT field. Producers get whopping amounts to create unlimited content.” He mentioned that the excitement and challenge that he had experienced when he worked in Sacred Games has evaporated. “When I can’t bear to watch them how can I bear to be in them?” Nawaz said.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui also mentioned that other stars have now flocked to the OTT platforms, ‘creating tantrums’. “Yeh star system bade parde ko kha gaya (this star system killed the big screen). Now we have so-called stars on OTT claiming big money and throwing tantrums like Bollywood A-listers. They forget. Content is king. Woh zamana chala gala. When stars ruled. Before this lockdown and the digital domination, A-listers would release their films in 3,000 theatre across the country. People had no choice but to see them. Now they have unlimited choices.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui rose to prominence with films like Kahaani and Gangs Of Wasseypur franchise. He has starred in films such as Manto, Photograph, Raman Raghav, Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Babumoshai Bandookbaaz.
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