Nawazuddin Siddiqui weighs in on theatrical vs OTT release row, says 'it's a big thing our films are able to release now'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is not concerned about whether his films are seen in theatres or on a streaming platform as he believes that there are times when getting a proper release is in itself a huge achievement. (Click  here  to read LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) [caption id=“attachment_4384401” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Nawazuddin Siddiqui/Image from Twitter.[/caption] The actor’s latest _Ghoomketu_ is set to premiere on ZEE5 on 22 May after a series of delays. The film was completed in 2014. Directed by Pushpendra Nath Mishra and produced by erstwhile Phantom Films and Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), the movie also features filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actors Ila Arun, Raghubir Yadav, Swanand Kirkire and Ragini Khanna. “When we were shooting this film, we shot it like how we shoot films for theatres. In today’s time, I think OTT is the only way where people are able to watch films. So I don’t personally think that it really matters to actors. _Also read on Firstpost: Theatre owners irked by direct-to-digital release of Indian films, say it can never replace traditional moviegoing experience_ _Also read on Firstpost:Taapsee Pannu, Pooja Bhatt, Hansal Mehta, Apurva Asrani back digital release of Gulabo Sitabo, Shakuntala Devi_ “And actors shouldn’t be concerned about whether their films release on OTT or theatres anyway. The fact that our films are able to release is in itself a big thing,” Nawazuddin told reporters in a virtual press conference. The actor has been a long time collaborator of Kashyap as the duo have previously worked together on critically-acclaimed gangster movie Gangs of Wasseypur, Raman Raghav 2.0 and Netflix series Sacred Games. However, it is for the first time they have shared screen space as actors for a film. Nawazuddin said it was an “interesting” experience because generally actors know where their co-stars will take a pause but it was difficult to predict the same with Kashyap. “While it was a lot of fun, I was never able to consider him a character. I always felt he was Anurag. I would feel he might say, ‘Cut’ in between and because he is a director I also feared he would catch my mistakes. So there was a little fear when I worked with him as an actor,” he said. Ghoomketu is a comedy-drama told from the viewpoint of an inexperienced writer, played by Nawazuddin, struggling to make it big in the film industry in Mumbai. When asked about his twenty years as an actor in the industry, Nawazuddin said he only started getting work in the last decade. “The initial 10 years went by in struggle. My aim is just to keep on working, it doesn’t matter if it’s a small role. There are a lot of things that I still have to achieve in life.” The actor is in his hometown Budhana in Uttar Pradesh, where he travelled with his family amid the lockdown as his mother was unwell. The 46-year-old actor said he has watched over 80 films ever since the coronavirus-forced lockdown started and believes his acting style will change once things are back to normal. “It feels like there will be a new start for me once the lockdown is over,” he added. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)