Meet Bollywood actor who was once a watchman, worked as chemist, is now worth Rs 160 crore

Beautiful stories often come from a past full of struggles. Today, we will talk about a Bollywood star who once worked as a watchman and a chemist but is now winning millions of hearts with his acting.

The actor we are talking about is Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has won the hearts of many with his powerful performances in films. Nawazuddin Siddiqui once opened up about his journey to acting in a Humans of Bombay post. He recalled that the thought of becoming an actor first came to him after watching a play in Vadodara, where he worked as a chemist after finishing college.

 

 

 

 

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He said, "Our family would watch Ram Leela plays together. That was my first encounter with acting. One of my friends played Ram and seeing him on stage left me star-struck! I'd imagine playing the role of Ram myself! After college, I worked as a chemist in Vadodara. There, I watched a play for the first time. That night, the thought of being an actor became a dream."

Nawazuddin shared that getting into the National School of Drama brought him to Mumbai, but it took him nearly a month to adjust to the city of dreams. He mentioned, "So, I studied at the National School of Drama and then went where everybody with a dream of acting goes - Bombay... My first impression of Bombay was how fast everything was. It took me a month to get used to the pace of life - I thought I would never be able to match up to its speed."

Nawazuddin, who comes from a family of farmers and was the guiding figure for his eight siblings, shared that he often had to borrow money from friends to survive in Mumbai. 

He said, "Financially, I wasn't well off. I would borrow money from my friends, saying I'd return them in 2 days. Two days later I would borrow money from someone else and pay the first person back. I lived in a flat with four other people - it was about survival... But my family always had my back. They constantly told me to not give up!"

Worked as watchman

He further mentioned, "I worked odd jobs - sometimes as a watchman, sometimes selling coriander. I even held acting workshops! I must have gone for a 100 auditions and took up every single role that came my way, no matter how small it was. It took 12 years before I got a 'breakthrough'. It wasn't easy - the struggle was not beautiful, it was just that; a struggle."

But he did it. Nawazuddin Siddiqui went from playing a minor role in Munnabhai MBBS to winning a Filmfare Award for The Lunchbox. He was once unnoticed in Sarfarosh, but later became widely recognized as Ganesh Gaitonde. From working as a watchman, he transformed into someone everyone watches. And he’s not done yet—his journey in cinema continues.

As per reports, the actor is now worth Rs 160 crore.