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An Ordinary Life: A Memoir
A young man from small-town Budhana in Muzzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, moved to Delhi to try his luck at theatre. Today, he is one of Bollywood s most soughtafter actors. A versatile performer with a strong grounding in theatre, he surprises audiences with every role he plays from Officer Khan in Kahaani, Faizal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur and Shaikh in The Lunchbox to Liak in Badlapur, Chand Nawab in Bajrangi Bhaijan and Dasrath Manjhi in Manjhi. However, the journey to fame and fortune was far from easy over the years, Nawazuddin Siddiqui went from being a manager at a petrochemical factory in Haridwar to a watchman in Delhi. This memoir is a celebration of his life.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2017
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August 18, 2020
How bad can a book be?
Well, lets see. Released at the very height of the #MeToo movement, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's An Ordinary Life was taken off shelves within a week. A short apology was served on Twitter.
The book gave rise to #MeToo posts and lawsuits and, three years on, a divorce. The entire background of the story results from a lack of discretion and consent in Siddiqui's part before publishing names in his stories in the Relationships segment of his memoir. Much of the memoir has been contested, and it gets the more unusual when you read up on the subsequent events. For instance, when slapped with a defamation lawsuit, he simply stated that he wrote about a different woman with the same name.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has gained quite a cult-following after a string of iconic roles in Gangs of Wasseypur, Manjhi, The Lunchbox and more recently, Manto and Sacred Games, the Netflix show that took him to iconic heights. However, this book only gave him further notoriety for all the wrong reasons. Nawaz's story is questionable, and sympathy-seeking. Even when he was writing about two-timing, he was still trying hard to win his readers' sympathy.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Saadat Hasan Manto
I believe this book should never have been released, but now that the worst is done, it is a fine example of what not to do when writing a memoir. Everything about it is wrong, the storytelling is shallow and sensational (disguised as humility), the portrayal of women is full of misogyny. To give you a glimpse into the author's mind, he starts discussing his rise to stardom by writing about how easily he picked up a waitress at a cafe in New York for a one-night-stand. This is the kind of writing that seemed befitting for a memoir by the author, editor and God knows how many others involved in the publishing of this book.
Read it at your own risk.
Well, lets see. Released at the very height of the #MeToo movement, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's An Ordinary Life was taken off shelves within a week. A short apology was served on Twitter.
"I m apologising 2 every1 who's sentiments r hurt bcz of d chaos around my memoir #AnOrdinaryLife
I hereby regret & decide 2 withdraw my book"
The book gave rise to #MeToo posts and lawsuits and, three years on, a divorce. The entire background of the story results from a lack of discretion and consent in Siddiqui's part before publishing names in his stories in the Relationships segment of his memoir. Much of the memoir has been contested, and it gets the more unusual when you read up on the subsequent events. For instance, when slapped with a defamation lawsuit, he simply stated that he wrote about a different woman with the same name.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has gained quite a cult-following after a string of iconic roles in Gangs of Wasseypur, Manjhi, The Lunchbox and more recently, Manto and Sacred Games, the Netflix show that took him to iconic heights. However, this book only gave him further notoriety for all the wrong reasons. Nawaz's story is questionable, and sympathy-seeking. Even when he was writing about two-timing, he was still trying hard to win his readers' sympathy.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Saadat Hasan Manto
I believe this book should never have been released, but now that the worst is done, it is a fine example of what not to do when writing a memoir. Everything about it is wrong, the storytelling is shallow and sensational (disguised as humility), the portrayal of women is full of misogyny. To give you a glimpse into the author's mind, he starts discussing his rise to stardom by writing about how easily he picked up a waitress at a cafe in New York for a one-night-stand. This is the kind of writing that seemed befitting for a memoir by the author, editor and God knows how many others involved in the publishing of this book.
Read it at your own risk.
October 31, 2017
I received this book for an honest review. Yesterday Nawazuddin issued an apology and promised to withdraw the book. I've finished reading it, so on the far chance that it stays or reappears, here's my review.
This book seems like a PR attempt to build on Nawazuddin's newfound fame and gloss up his image. But even in this, it falls short badly. The writing is inconsistent, varying from the grammatically unsound to suddenly literary to pulpy to poetic. Then there are the problematic ideas - domestic violence, cheating, abuse, ghosting, exploitation. These are spelt out in great detail in incidents where Nawazuddin is the victim but there are several more where he's the perpetrator where the same is stated with unapologetic nonchalance.
Very early in the book, Nawazuddin talks about his grandfather being liberal for his times and marrying outside the caste. Later, he talks about his shame in being associated with people of lower castes. But in the same chapter, he also speaks proudly of how he is said to have inherited his grandfather's majestic stance. The shallowness is off-putting.
I tried to imagine the words being said in Hindi by Nawazuddin himself, which carried me through some of the early chapters on childhood. But as adolescence sets in, the voice and the anecdotes become more obnoxious, entitled and hypocritical. Selective showing off turns into blatant braggin. By the time he gets to Bombay, the whining about difficult people turns into vicious mudslinging with names named. The actress Achint Kaur gets blamed for his breakup simply because she is his girlfriend's new roommate (with zero mention of her before or after).
There are detailed descriptions of how he exploits his brother, a lisping friend and several women. These are told in the jocular manner of 'But it is my full right to do so' while the expected hardships of a film industry struggler are described as if they were a grand plot against Nawazuddin himself.
'Country bumpkin' is used as a casual excuse many times during the course of the book. But this is no uneducated, underprivileged person talking. This is a science graduate with a fulltime job who quit to study acting. This is an NSD graduate who found that Mumbai's film industry still wouldn't offer him work on a silver platter just because of that NSD tag. This is the eldest of 9 children whose parents made sacrifices to give him an education, chose to accept all of that, then switch life paths and start again, sponge off his younger sibling and then complain that the world had done him wrong.
I'm sorry I read this book mainly because I don't think I'll ever enjoy Nawazuddin's performances again. The only vaguely interesting thing about the book was the actual names named and that's again the reason this book was recalled.
This book seems like a PR attempt to build on Nawazuddin's newfound fame and gloss up his image. But even in this, it falls short badly. The writing is inconsistent, varying from the grammatically unsound to suddenly literary to pulpy to poetic. Then there are the problematic ideas - domestic violence, cheating, abuse, ghosting, exploitation. These are spelt out in great detail in incidents where Nawazuddin is the victim but there are several more where he's the perpetrator where the same is stated with unapologetic nonchalance.
Very early in the book, Nawazuddin talks about his grandfather being liberal for his times and marrying outside the caste. Later, he talks about his shame in being associated with people of lower castes. But in the same chapter, he also speaks proudly of how he is said to have inherited his grandfather's majestic stance. The shallowness is off-putting.
I tried to imagine the words being said in Hindi by Nawazuddin himself, which carried me through some of the early chapters on childhood. But as adolescence sets in, the voice and the anecdotes become more obnoxious, entitled and hypocritical. Selective showing off turns into blatant braggin. By the time he gets to Bombay, the whining about difficult people turns into vicious mudslinging with names named. The actress Achint Kaur gets blamed for his breakup simply because she is his girlfriend's new roommate (with zero mention of her before or after).
There are detailed descriptions of how he exploits his brother, a lisping friend and several women. These are told in the jocular manner of 'But it is my full right to do so' while the expected hardships of a film industry struggler are described as if they were a grand plot against Nawazuddin himself.
'Country bumpkin' is used as a casual excuse many times during the course of the book. But this is no uneducated, underprivileged person talking. This is a science graduate with a fulltime job who quit to study acting. This is an NSD graduate who found that Mumbai's film industry still wouldn't offer him work on a silver platter just because of that NSD tag. This is the eldest of 9 children whose parents made sacrifices to give him an education, chose to accept all of that, then switch life paths and start again, sponge off his younger sibling and then complain that the world had done him wrong.
I'm sorry I read this book mainly because I don't think I'll ever enjoy Nawazuddin's performances again. The only vaguely interesting thing about the book was the actual names named and that's again the reason this book was recalled.
August 11, 2018
ایک غیر معمولی اداکار کی معمولی زندگی کی معمولی انداز سے سنائی گئی معمولی کہانی
سالوں گزر گئے مگر اب زندگی کی سب سے پہلی آپ بیتی نہیں بھولتی، غالبا سات آٹھ سال کی عمر ہوگی۔ عمران سیریز اور چٹخارے دار ڈائجسٹ کہانیاں پڑھتے پڑھتے شہاب نامہ پر ہاتھ ڈال دیا۔ کسی نے نہیں بتایا یہ کتاب لکھنے والے کون اور کیا ہیں۔ مگر کتاب کا انداز اتنا خوبصورت تھا کہ سات سالہ بچہ اس کتاب کو کئی بار پڑھ گیا۔ اگرچہ اسے ملکی تاریخ اور سیاست والے ابواب کی کچھ سمجھ نہ آئی ، مگر شہاب کے بچپن کے واقعات بہت دلچسپ تھے۔ خاص طور پر اس کا ڈھیر سارے کتابیں لے کر ایک کمرے میں گھس جانا اور سارا سارا دن صرف کتابیں پڑھتے رہنا۔
اسی دن سے دل میں ایک ناممکن سی خواہش اٹھی کہ کوئی ہمیں بھی ایسے کمرے میں بند کردے جہاں ڈھیر ساری کتابیں ہوں۔
مدت ہوئی شہاب کی زندگی ، اسکی بیوروکریسی، اور اسکی روحانیت کی قلعی کھل گئی
ناجانے زندگی میں ایسا کیوں ہوتا ہے کہ ایک کے بعد ایک بت ٹوٹتے جاتے ہیں۔ جن بتوں کو خدا سمجھ کر سالوں پرستش کرتے رہے وہ بھی انسان ہی نکلے
مگر میرے اندر ساتھ سالہ بچہ اب بھی اسکی افسانہ نگاری کے سحر میں ہے۔ وہ اب بھی اسکی سنائی کہانی پر یقین کرنا چاہتا ہے۔وہ حقیقی زندگی سے زیادہ کہانی میں کھونا پسند کرتا ہے۔ یہ کتابیں پڑھنے کی عادت بھی تو حقیقت سے ایک فرار ہی ہے نا؟؟
ہم سب کہانیاں سننا اور سنانا پسند کرتے ہیں۔ہم اپنے آپ کو بھی اپنے بارے میں پر وقت کہانیاں سناتے ہیں۔ ایسی کہانیاں جنھیں سن کر دل کو تسلی ہوتی ہے،تو نوازالدین صدیقی کی معمولی زندگی کی معمولی انداز سے سنائی گئی معمولی کہانی میں یہی خامی ہے کہ اسے اچھے انداز سے سنایا نہیں گیا۔جو لوگ یہ اعتراض کررہے ہیں کہ اس میں سچ نہیں ہے توان پر حیرانگی ہوتی ہے۔ کیونکہ مدت ہوئی پڑھے لکھے لوگ آپ بیتی کو فکشن سمجھ کر پڑھتے ہیں۔لوگوں کو اصل مایوسی اسی بات پر ہوئی ہے کہ ایک غیر معمولی ادکار کی زندگی ، اتنی معمولی کیسے ہوسکتی ہے،۔ یہ تو لگتا ہے صرف تکے سے بڑا اداکار بن گیا ہے۔ یہ ساری زندگی تھیٹر اور فلم کے ساتھ وابستہ رہا مگر فلم پر بات کرتے اس کی باتیں اتنی سطحی کیوں لگتی ہیں۔ حقیقی کرداروں کو سینما سکریں پر اتنی گہرائی سے پیش کرنے والا زندگی اور فلم کے بارے میں کوئی گہرائی نہیں رکھتا،
میں پاپولر سینما سے کسی اداکار کی کتاب پڑھتے یہ توقع نہیں رکھتا کہ وہ کوئی گہری بات کرے گا مگر میں متوازی سینما کے بڑے اداکاروں نصیر الدین شاہ ، اوم پوری، شبانہ عظمی ، سمیتا پٹیل عرفان خان، منوج باجپائی اور اسی قبیل کے بڑے اداکاروں کی آپ بیتی سے ان باتوں کی توقع رکھتا ہوں۔ مجھے جاننا ہے کن کتابوں، کن فلموں ، کن استادوں ، کن دوستوں اور کن حالات نے ان کو بڑا بنایا۔
خیر شاید یہ کتاب فلم اور ادب کے سنجیدہ قارئین کے بجائے ایک عام شخص کو امید دلانے کے لیے جلدی میں لکھوائی گئی کتاب ہے۔ جس کا مقصد ایک عام انڈین کو امید دلانا ہو کہ اگر وہ محنت اور جہد مسلسل کرے تو غیر معمولی کامیابی حاصل کرسکتا ہے۔
کتاب ہڑھتے کئی مقامات ہر کافی مزہ آیا مگر ہر مقام ہر کچھ کمی سی محسوس ہوئی جیسے بہت کچھ ان کہا رہ گیا ہو۔ جیسے کوئی اچھا گھوسٹ رائٹر مل جاتا تو اس خالی جگہوں کو پر کرتا ۔
سالوں گزر گئے مگر اب زندگی کی سب سے پہلی آپ بیتی نہیں بھولتی، غالبا سات آٹھ سال کی عمر ہوگی۔ عمران سیریز اور چٹخارے دار ڈائجسٹ کہانیاں پڑھتے پڑھتے شہاب نامہ پر ہاتھ ڈال دیا۔ کسی نے نہیں بتایا یہ کتاب لکھنے والے کون اور کیا ہیں۔ مگر کتاب کا انداز اتنا خوبصورت تھا کہ سات سالہ بچہ اس کتاب کو کئی بار پڑھ گیا۔ اگرچہ اسے ملکی تاریخ اور سیاست والے ابواب کی کچھ سمجھ نہ آئی ، مگر شہاب کے بچپن کے واقعات بہت دلچسپ تھے۔ خاص طور پر اس کا ڈھیر سارے کتابیں لے کر ایک کمرے میں گھس جانا اور سارا سارا دن صرف کتابیں پڑھتے رہنا۔
اسی دن سے دل میں ایک ناممکن سی خواہش اٹھی کہ کوئی ہمیں بھی ایسے کمرے میں بند کردے جہاں ڈھیر ساری کتابیں ہوں۔
مدت ہوئی شہاب کی زندگی ، اسکی بیوروکریسی، اور اسکی روحانیت کی قلعی کھل گئی
ناجانے زندگی میں ایسا کیوں ہوتا ہے کہ ایک کے بعد ایک بت ٹوٹتے جاتے ہیں۔ جن بتوں کو خدا سمجھ کر سالوں پرستش کرتے رہے وہ بھی انسان ہی نکلے
مگر میرے اندر ساتھ سالہ بچہ اب بھی اسکی افسانہ نگاری کے سحر میں ہے۔ وہ اب بھی اسکی سنائی کہانی پر یقین کرنا چاہتا ہے۔وہ حقیقی زندگی سے زیادہ کہانی میں کھونا پسند کرتا ہے۔ یہ کتابیں پڑھنے کی عادت بھی تو حقیقت سے ایک فرار ہی ہے نا؟؟
ہم سب کہانیاں سننا اور سنانا پسند کرتے ہیں۔ہم اپنے آپ کو بھی اپنے بارے میں پر وقت کہانیاں سناتے ہیں۔ ایسی کہانیاں جنھیں سن کر دل کو تسلی ہوتی ہے،تو نوازالدین صدیقی کی معمولی زندگی کی معمولی انداز سے سنائی گئی معمولی کہانی میں یہی خامی ہے کہ اسے اچھے انداز سے سنایا نہیں گیا۔جو لوگ یہ اعتراض کررہے ہیں کہ اس میں سچ نہیں ہے توان پر حیرانگی ہوتی ہے۔ کیونکہ مدت ہوئی پڑھے لکھے لوگ آپ بیتی کو فکشن سمجھ کر پڑھتے ہیں۔لوگوں کو اصل مایوسی اسی بات پر ہوئی ہے کہ ایک غیر معمولی ادکار کی زندگی ، اتنی معمولی کیسے ہوسکتی ہے،۔ یہ تو لگتا ہے صرف تکے سے بڑا اداکار بن گیا ہے۔ یہ ساری زندگی تھیٹر اور فلم کے ساتھ وابستہ رہا مگر فلم پر بات کرتے اس کی باتیں اتنی سطحی کیوں لگتی ہیں۔ حقیقی کرداروں کو سینما سکریں پر اتنی گہرائی سے پیش کرنے والا زندگی اور فلم کے بارے میں کوئی گہرائی نہیں رکھتا،
میں پاپولر سینما سے کسی اداکار کی کتاب پڑھتے یہ توقع نہیں رکھتا کہ وہ کوئی گہری بات کرے گا مگر میں متوازی سینما کے بڑے اداکاروں نصیر الدین شاہ ، اوم پوری، شبانہ عظمی ، سمیتا پٹیل عرفان خان، منوج باجپائی اور اسی قبیل کے بڑے اداکاروں کی آپ بیتی سے ان باتوں کی توقع رکھتا ہوں۔ مجھے جاننا ہے کن کتابوں، کن فلموں ، کن استادوں ، کن دوستوں اور کن حالات نے ان کو بڑا بنایا۔
خیر شاید یہ کتاب فلم اور ادب کے سنجیدہ قارئین کے بجائے ایک عام شخص کو امید دلانے کے لیے جلدی میں لکھوائی گئی کتاب ہے۔ جس کا مقصد ایک عام انڈین کو امید دلانا ہو کہ اگر وہ محنت اور جہد مسلسل کرے تو غیر معمولی کامیابی حاصل کرسکتا ہے۔
کتاب ہڑھتے کئی مقامات ہر کافی مزہ آیا مگر ہر مقام ہر کچھ کمی سی محسوس ہوئی جیسے بہت کچھ ان کہا رہ گیا ہو۔ جیسے کوئی اچھا گھوسٹ رائٹر مل جاتا تو اس خالی جگہوں کو پر کرتا ۔
January 21, 2018
All rights and no wrongs by Nawaz, this appears to be a propeller for publicity rather than an autobiography. The depiction of early days of Nawaz’s life is interesting and can be taken as most genuinely told part of this book as compared to his latter life.
He is depicted as being the innocent one in all the cases presented, but there is no mention of him being of any good to his friends who, according to this memoir, have been very helpful to him. After reading, I feel that Nawaz is least apologetic about ruining the career of one his good friend Mukesh, yet there is little regret visible in the way the incident has been mentioned.
The book is just a PR attempt to glitterfy Nawaz’s newfound fame.
He is depicted as being the innocent one in all the cases presented, but there is no mention of him being of any good to his friends who, according to this memoir, have been very helpful to him. After reading, I feel that Nawaz is least apologetic about ruining the career of one his good friend Mukesh, yet there is little regret visible in the way the incident has been mentioned.
The book is just a PR attempt to glitterfy Nawaz’s newfound fame.
March 29, 2018
Not a satisfying read. What seem at first as insights into the man soon feel like mild deception - smoke and mirrors with Siddiqui revealing only what he feels will help his celebrity. Deft marketing gimmick though, that announcement that the book would be summarily withdrawn because the women mentioned had objected to their portrayals. Gave the book a great spike in sales. The book though is an anticlimax.
July 15, 2020
Pathetic. Smutty. Irrelevant. If perhaps I am the only one who finds, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's memoir, an extremely cheap write-up, then so be it.
Startled would be an understated word. And I can't even fathom the language used to highlight his countless debauch encounters. Yes, he hails from a small town village in Uttar Pradesh and expectedly (although unfortunate) the 'Sadak Chaap' bearing.
A satyromaniac (sex-starved), Nawaz talks about his crushes and his love affairs, to the extent of writing and I quote him "..utterly frustrated of not getting girlfriends, we (and his likeminded friends) decided to take the plunge of losing our virginity..we went to the 'renowned' red-light area". To asking one of his batch mates, "Main aapke saath sex karna chahta hoon".
'Behenchod' happens to be just another word, used repeatedly in this book. His lack of sensitivity and word usage is absolutely obnoxious and vomit worthy.
What could have been a cracker of a book of an immensely talented Actor, is all sleazy. His struggle to reach this far is intriguing, but shame, it had to be written in such a way. No wonder the book has been withdrawn and Nawazuddin has issued an apology. 📚
Startled would be an understated word. And I can't even fathom the language used to highlight his countless debauch encounters. Yes, he hails from a small town village in Uttar Pradesh and expectedly (although unfortunate) the 'Sadak Chaap' bearing.
A satyromaniac (sex-starved), Nawaz talks about his crushes and his love affairs, to the extent of writing and I quote him "..utterly frustrated of not getting girlfriends, we (and his likeminded friends) decided to take the plunge of losing our virginity..we went to the 'renowned' red-light area". To asking one of his batch mates, "Main aapke saath sex karna chahta hoon".
'Behenchod' happens to be just another word, used repeatedly in this book. His lack of sensitivity and word usage is absolutely obnoxious and vomit worthy.
What could have been a cracker of a book of an immensely talented Actor, is all sleazy. His struggle to reach this far is intriguing, but shame, it had to be written in such a way. No wonder the book has been withdrawn and Nawazuddin has issued an apology. 📚
February 26, 2018
a failed PR attempt ? Nawasuddin is a brilliant actor...we all know that.. dont think this book was necessary to confirm the fact that Nawasuddin is a brilliant actor..
found the langugae used bit of artificial.. (translated from urdu/hindi by Riruparna Chatterjee - a US based writer )...
His early days struggles - found that part as a nice read... few original pics etc etc.. his love towards his mom..dad..brothers... all good..
but when it came to the post NSD time of Nawasuddin.. i found it almost a self praising..rather than an autobiography...& those dialogues about Anurag Kashyap...a bit of praising involved? i felt so..
the other book which i felt the same was shoaib aktars autobiogrpahy - it was alllll self praise & nothing.. this was of not that level..still.. almost...
found the langugae used bit of artificial.. (translated from urdu/hindi by Riruparna Chatterjee - a US based writer )...
His early days struggles - found that part as a nice read... few original pics etc etc.. his love towards his mom..dad..brothers... all good..
but when it came to the post NSD time of Nawasuddin.. i found it almost a self praising..rather than an autobiography...& those dialogues about Anurag Kashyap...a bit of praising involved? i felt so..
the other book which i felt the same was shoaib aktars autobiogrpahy - it was alllll self praise & nothing.. this was of not that level..still.. almost...
April 10, 2020
Fast read and riveting
Nawaz may hold his story about himself but the writer has made significant self contribution to the original story. This has made the book fast and interesting and good amount of credit goes to her. It was fascinating to read about the struggles of actors like Nawaz, Nasiruddin and such like. Inspiring. Successful people live to tell their version of story and I think that is how it should be.
Nawaz may hold his story about himself but the writer has made significant self contribution to the original story. This has made the book fast and interesting and good amount of credit goes to her. It was fascinating to read about the struggles of actors like Nawaz, Nasiruddin and such like. Inspiring. Successful people live to tell their version of story and I think that is how it should be.
January 18, 2020
If it is an ordinary life why waste the paper to publish this?
If it isn't an ordinary life than that's just a loser doing virtue signaling with some modesty.
Anyway, I'm curious enough to read it some time.
If it isn't an ordinary life than that's just a loser doing virtue signaling with some modesty.
Anyway, I'm curious enough to read it some time.
May 15, 2019
This is not a memoir ... this is a selective narration to show only the positive(? authenticity dubious) side, not a true disclosure.
October 27, 2017
Amazing! Truly inspiring. Nawazuddin's honesty in every line of this book will keep you hooked till the very end.
October 31, 2017
Humble suggestion to Nawaz Bhai, Rituparna Chatterjee and Penguin (even if the book goes off the shelves): either you go all out with naming names, or you don't.
January 21, 2018
If the book dwelt a bit more on Nawazuddin Siddiqui's process of performing his roles and a lot less on his inconsequential encounters with the many people he has met in his life, this book would have been an all-time classic.
Nawazuddin has a gift for describing situations. His co-writer, Rituparna Chatterjee, has a gift for putting them together in evocative language. Now, only if they decided to talk about his iconic roles a bit more!
Nawazuddin has a gift for describing situations. His co-writer, Rituparna Chatterjee, has a gift for putting them together in evocative language. Now, only if they decided to talk about his iconic roles a bit more!
January 13, 2018
Stories of struggle in Mumbai of aspirants trying to get a toehold in Bollywood are a dime a dozen. What makes this ordinary life truly extraordinary are the magnitude of the struggle (literally no money for any food for days), the duration of it, the perseverance, and the payoff.
Nawaz' story starts in a village in UP - Budhana. Through the book you'll get several snippets and anecdotes of exactly how backward and remote an area he comes from in terms of the mentality and lack of exposure of the folks there. Mostly good intentioned, but seeped in orthodoxy and conservatism. Patriarchy, religious fanaticism, relegated status of women in the house and community, you name it and you will get flavours of it throughout. Nawaz himself has plenty of similar streaks and he's accepted his many flaws as well, but the single minded focus and devotion towards his craft is the true hero of the story.
Down and out to an extent most of us can't begin to imagine, he continued. For almost a decade he lived in abject poverty, ill treated by Bollywood, doing bit roles here and there, not even getting paid the piddly sums for those roles. But he maintained his focus on doing the one thing, acting, which he knew he could excel in. Continuing to have that kind of confidence in oneself after years of rejection and failure is laudable.
As a person he's got various shades of grey, especially where he describes his relationships, where he wasn't exactly the paragon of virtue (and I am not talking moralistically here). As an actor and a disciple of acting however you can't question his commitment. Towards the end of the book where he talks about the difference between an actor and a superstar you are grateful that some people are still truly more passionate about the acting than the stardom.
The pathos he (and Rituparna, the co-author/translator/biographer) brings about his extraordinary life is commendable. The maturity and transformation of Nawaz as a person also clearly comes across over the 200 odd pages.
Recommended reading not only for Bollywood fans but anyone who likes a feel-good story, where you root for the underdog and he emerges victorious in a scale that's unthinkable.
Nawaz' story starts in a village in UP - Budhana. Through the book you'll get several snippets and anecdotes of exactly how backward and remote an area he comes from in terms of the mentality and lack of exposure of the folks there. Mostly good intentioned, but seeped in orthodoxy and conservatism. Patriarchy, religious fanaticism, relegated status of women in the house and community, you name it and you will get flavours of it throughout. Nawaz himself has plenty of similar streaks and he's accepted his many flaws as well, but the single minded focus and devotion towards his craft is the true hero of the story.
Down and out to an extent most of us can't begin to imagine, he continued. For almost a decade he lived in abject poverty, ill treated by Bollywood, doing bit roles here and there, not even getting paid the piddly sums for those roles. But he maintained his focus on doing the one thing, acting, which he knew he could excel in. Continuing to have that kind of confidence in oneself after years of rejection and failure is laudable.
As a person he's got various shades of grey, especially where he describes his relationships, where he wasn't exactly the paragon of virtue (and I am not talking moralistically here). As an actor and a disciple of acting however you can't question his commitment. Towards the end of the book where he talks about the difference between an actor and a superstar you are grateful that some people are still truly more passionate about the acting than the stardom.
The pathos he (and Rituparna, the co-author/translator/biographer) brings about his extraordinary life is commendable. The maturity and transformation of Nawaz as a person also clearly comes across over the 200 odd pages.
Recommended reading not only for Bollywood fans but anyone who likes a feel-good story, where you root for the underdog and he emerges victorious in a scale that's unthinkable.
May 1, 2021
An Ordinary Life-a memoir – Nawazuddin Siddiqui with Rituparna Chatarjee- I have read memoirs of 1- Dilip Kumar, 2- Balraj Sahani, 3- Ayushmann Khurana, 4- Karan Johar, 5- Durga Khote, 6- Saeed Jaffery, 7- Javad Akhtar, 8- Prem Sagar (Ramanand Sagar). Three autobiographies from the above list are youngsters- Ayushmann Khuranna, Karan Johar and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Memoir is an inspiring book. A common man dark skin can rise on the basis of acting skills. His films are judged at International level and are awarded. Inspiration for readers is that if a simpleton can rise to stardom, all should endeavor and reach heights of success. Nawaz has written that in his childhood, he learnt stagecraft from observing men, women and local folk artists, village drum players about how to bind people to the stage. His struggle has been long- after completing his education at Haridwar, he went to Baroda, then, Bharatendu Natya Academy, Lucknow and last of National School of Drama, New Delhi. Here he improved his acting craft and after earning some money at Faridabad, he came to Mumbai. Author mentions a lot of strugglers with whom he stayed, dined and walked from Movie Studios on foot, on local trains and buses in search of acting work. Once he got work, success was not far. He met Anurag Kashyap. Both recognized each other’s strong points, screened movies and achieved public recognition, National and International awards. Nawaz has written about the difference between actors and stars. Stars have repetitive value while the actors have to re-invent their acts for each new role. Second thing, is that Directors recognize actors and stars and give equal respect to them. Saeed Jaffery has written in his autobiography that International Directors used Chairs with name of International Stars written on them so that they could sit and rest after shots. Towards the end, Saeed Jaffery got recognition from International Movie Directors and a chair was placed for him also. Nawaz his just begun his movie journey. There are many more achievements to come for him. Might be he writes a sequel to this memoir. Photogaphs annexed to the book help the reader to connect with the script. It is a worth reading memoir.
November 28, 2017
As the co-author writes in the afterword, this book was written long distance many miles apart, and it reads so... like a rote transcription of Nawaz's thoughts (in Hindi / Urdu), with just that bit of separation from the man and his scribe. That apart, his story is fantastic, coming from a small village, learning drama from India's topmost school, and breaking through in Bollywood in the most spectacular fashion, that too in critically acclaimed films. The best parts are of his Mumbai days, the struggle, poverty, and sheer guts and genius that eventually propel him into stardom. The worst part is when he talks about his "relationships", which could have been completely avoided (a gentleman keeps secrets), and have no bearing on what makes Nawaz one of India's finest actors.
January 22, 2020
- An average memoir by very talented actor.
It could have been far better with better execution. We only get glimpses of various chapters of his life. His struggles possess serious potential of inspiring other, specially young strugglers. However, the book fails to capture Nawaz.
Only last few chapters truely portray him with brutal honesty.
Rather than being a 'piece of art' like his movies, it has turned into some kind of 'masala' work.
Some cheap contents and bad writing totally ruined Nawaz's inspiring story.
No wonder the book attracted controversy and the publishers had to withdraw from the bookshelves.
It could have been far better with better execution. We only get glimpses of various chapters of his life. His struggles possess serious potential of inspiring other, specially young strugglers. However, the book fails to capture Nawaz.
Only last few chapters truely portray him with brutal honesty.
Rather than being a 'piece of art' like his movies, it has turned into some kind of 'masala' work.
Some cheap contents and bad writing totally ruined Nawaz's inspiring story.
No wonder the book attracted controversy and the publishers had to withdraw from the bookshelves.
November 29, 2021
A good book. Real shame that the actor had to pull it from the market due to some controversy. Doesn't affect me because I had bought it as soon as it was released. It is a very enjoyable biography and portrays the actor as a man who is more focused on his craft than his image. The end of the book is really insightful. The only thing that I found a bit off was the fact that the actor seemed really conscious about his skin tone. The anecdotes he shared show a society, where this is a thing. This is really sad but believable that some narrow-minded people would have made him feel this way. In conclusion, brilliant actor, good book, read it if you get the chance.
October 30, 2017
This book shows the struggle, the success and the values of one of the greatest actors in Hindi cinema. It took him 12 years to reach the position where he is today and that was not a bed of roses. From being homeless to eating parle g for 3 meals a day, this guy has seen it all. It was only the love of his craft that kept him pushing forward and now he has won a national award. The is an extraordinary tale of an ordinary man
February 27, 2021
May be the release timing of the book stated a bad impression about it but reading it after a particular time break didn't make me feel like a publicity stunt. Where people say that there is too much of misogyny but I feel they forgot to read how he stated that perspective towards women was changed after his daughter was born. My most favorite part would be where he has described his love for his craft, how he loves what to do and how he has differentiated between an actor and a superstar
April 8, 2024
I have never been much into biographies and autobiographies. I decided to read this book after I watched an amazing Netflix series by the actor. The book is very well written and I loved the pace of the book. It is also very interesting and funny sometimes. We get to see the real struggle behind a well renowned Indian actor. Also, it was a bit patriarchal and misogynistic at times and that was a tough pill to swallow.
4/5🌟
4/5🌟
July 14, 2018
He Struggled like other successful person does, but his attitude towards getting what he always wanted is commandable. His attitude towards girls shows his background , mostly boys from UP behaves like that way reason is simple , they are not used to with other gender.
Simply written a good read overall , not at par as his acting is.
Inspiring.
Simply written a good read overall , not at par as his acting is.
Inspiring.
May 11, 2021
Tells us the story of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's childhood in his village Budhana in UP. How he grow up there, his studies in National School of Drama, Delhi. Moving to mumbai. His struggles there. Struggling with no money, nothing to eat and being homeless. Then finding good roles in movies. And from then on getting good roles and how his career took off.
July 1, 2022
I thinks that is an amazing journey of Nawaz sir , every body don't have the guts to drive that types of life . There is my thought "no matter how is your road either bicycle, only matters the driver " . Also by reading his journey i have realise that he is an extraordinary observe and free from so called promises .
November 15, 2017
A real good Unconventional memoir
Its not entirely an autobiography or is it as light hearted as a memoir. But it tells you about Nawaz as you have never known him. His chilhood, his struggles and his success. Well represented. I liked this a lot.
Its not entirely an autobiography or is it as light hearted as a memoir. But it tells you about Nawaz as you have never known him. His chilhood, his struggles and his success. Well represented. I liked this a lot.
April 15, 2020
This book was pulled back later bcz some actress name was published which was obviously unfair but apart from that the book is amazing,it's interesting to see the arc of his life from 0 to becoming such a refined actor
January 11, 2018
I enjoyed the raw emotions with which the book is written. It feels like he is sitting next to me narrating his tale. It is a touching tale of struggle and self-discovery.
February 18, 2020
Despite the controversies about the book this is an interesting read. Nawaz is very much truthful regarding the other peoples and that was created the controversies.
May 14, 2020
Okayish
January 12, 2021
Some incidents will make you realise what passion is and stuff a struggling actor goes through , all the politics, struggle, rewards . A great ride.
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