Nawazuddin Siddiqui Height, Age, Wife, Girlfriend, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Nowaz
Profession	Actor
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 6" (168 cm)
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Film: Sarfarosh (1999) TV: Parsai Kehte Hain (2001; on DD National)
Awards, Honours	2012: National Film Awards in the category of "Special Jury Award" for the films- Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Dekh Indian Circus 2013: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film "Lunchbox"
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 May 1974 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2024)	50 Years
Birthplace	Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Signature/Autograph
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
School	B. S. S. Inter College Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
College/University	• Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakand • The National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
Religion	Islam Note: He considers himself not just a Muslim, but a bit of all religions. [1]Huffpost
Caste/Sect	Sunni
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Address	A 3-bedroom sea-facing apartment in Versova, Mumbai
Hobbies	Flying Kites, Watching Films, Farming
Controversies	• In October 2017, his former girlfriends Sunita Rajwar and actress Niharika Singh (who co-starred with him in Miss Lovely) accused him of misrepresenting facts in his biography- An Ordinary Life: A Memoir. Following the heavy criticism, Nawaz announced he's withdrawing his biography, few days after its release. A complaint against Nawazuddin was made with the National Commission for Women (NCW). Niharika Singh's advocate Gautam Gulati, on behalf of Niharika, lodged a complaint against Nawazuddin for "outraging the modesty of the actress." • In December 2017, Nawazuddin's alleged first girlfriend, Sunita Rajwar, also sued him for defaming her in his memoir. According to Sunita, Nawaz mentioned in his book that Sunita dumped him because he was not successful and wrongly portrayed her as someone “who drove Nawaz to think of committing suicide." Reportedly. Miss Rajwar sent him a legal notice and asked for compensation of Rs 2 crore for allegedly attempting to damage her image. However, the actor retaliated with a counter-notice, calling Sunita's case a "mere stunt for cheap publicity." He said that the Sunita in the memoir was not Sunita Rajwar (but some other Sunita). [2]NDTV • In July 2018, Rajeev Sinha, a Congress politician from the West Bengal, lodged an F.I.R. against Nawazuddin and the producers of the Netflix web series, Sacred Games for defaming the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and also, for taking the level of Bollywood to a new low. • Legal battle with estranged wife Aaliya: In May 2020, he received a divorce notice from his wife Aaliya (aka Anjali). In an interview, Aaliya said that their marriage was in troubled waters for the past one decade, and she was seeking an opportunity to end the marriage, which came in the form of lockdown. She didn't disclose much behind the reason for the divorce notice and said, "I won't be able to speak on the issues right away, but yes, we have been having problems from the last ten years. Now, during the lockdown, I got thinking and thought I had to end this marriage. I had sent him the notice much before he left for Muzaffarpur, and he has not yet replied to my notice, so I have to take a legal route now." [3]NDTV In January 2023, the advocate of Aaliya Siddiqui alleged that his client was not provided 'food, bed, bathroom to take bath' by Nawazuddin and his family members. In a statement, Aaliya Siddiqui's advocate Rizwan Siddiquee said, "Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members did everything possible to remove my client Mrs Aaliya Siddiqui from the house. They filed an untenable criminal complaint of trespass against her. Thereafter, through the police they threatened to arrest her and were calling her each day to the police station, after sunset." While not blaming the police directly for their actions, the advocate added, "Whilst, I do not want to directly attribute the actions and the failures of the police department to them, yet the fact remains that no police officer ever came to protect my clients rights, even when her modesty was insulted before the police officers. Not only her relationship with Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui was questioned before the police officer, but even the legitimacy of the minor son was questioned. Yet the police officer did not act on the written complaint given by my client under Section 509 of IPC." While elaborating the atrocities against his client by the actor and his family, the advocate said, "Mr Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members have in the last seven days ensured that no food, no bed, and no bathroom to take bath is given to my client. They have even posted innumerable male bodyguards all around my client and further installed CCTV cameras in the hall, where my client is currently staying with her minor children. To add to all of this, they even ensured that I do not obtain any signatures of my client to file appropriate court cases against Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his family members. Despite being stopped and threatened at multiple levels and no police officer coming to the aid of my client, me and my team managed to obtain signatures of my client for the court cases. Accordingly, multiple cases are being filed in the courts now." [4]Hindustan Times In an interview, he claimed that Aaliya was married to someone else, before she got married to him, and she portrayed herself as an unmarried woman to him. [5]The Indian Express In March 2024, Aaliya revealed during an interview that she and Nawaz had reconciled and decided to live together for their children. [6]NDTV • Defamation case against estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui and brother Shamasuddin: On 20 March 2023, Nawazuddin filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against his estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui and brother Shamasuddin, accusing them of cheating; however, the following day, he sought settlement with his estranged wife and sent a "settlement draft" to his wife Aaliya's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee. Later, Aaliya's lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee talked about this and said, "Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, through his advocates, has sent me a draft of the terms of settlement. The same was sent last evening. I am now in the process of discussing the same with my client. I assure that from my side, I am trying to fully ensure that all disputes between the parties end once and for all; and that both parties as parents concentrate on the well-being of their minor children and work towards securing their future. As far as the defamation suit filed by Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the High Court is concerned, I can only say that we have not been served any copy of the same as yet, but in any event the suit was filed prior to the settlement proposed by Mr. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and therefore withdrawal of the same will automatically become an integral part of the settlement." [7]India Today • Hurting Bengali community with Sprite ad: In April 2023, a case was filed against him in Kolkata for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Bengali community. The Sprite ad was originally shot in Hindi; however, a Kolkata-based lawyer objected to a line in its Bengali version. In its new promotional campaign, the soft drink brand allowed consumers to scan the QR code and listen to jokes. In the Bengali version of the ad, the actor was seen laughing at one of the jokes, which says, ‘shoja anguley ghee na uthley, Bangali khali petey ghumiye porey.' In English, it means that if Bengalis don’t get anything easily, they sleep hungry, which, according to the complainant, hurt the sentiments of the Bengali community. After the complaint, the company pulled down the Bengali version of the ad featuring Nawazuddin and issued a note that read, "Sprite India regrets the recent ad campaign for the cold drink and that the company respects the Bengali language." [8]Hindustan Times
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Divorced
Affairs/Girlfriends	• Sunita Rajwar (Actress) • Niharika Singh (actress) • Anjali
Family
Wife/Spouse	Anjali Kishor Pandey (aka Aaliya) (aka Anjana) (m. 2010; div. 2023) [9]Hindustan Times
Children	Son- Yaani Daughter- Shora
Parents	Father- Late Nawabuddin Siddiqui (a farmer) Mother- Mehroonisa
Siblings	Brother(s)- Shamas Nawab Siddiqui (filmmaker), Ayazuddin Siddiqui and 5 more Sister(s)- Syama Tamshi Siddiqui (died in December 2019 at 26 after battling breast cancer) & 1 more
Favourites
Actor(s)	Amitabh Bachchan, Ashish Vidyarthi
Actress	Sridevi
Film	Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Destination(s)	Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Style Quotient
Car(s) Collection	• Ford Ikon • Ford Endeavor (SUV)
Assets/Properties	• A one-bedroom flat in Zohra Nagar, Andheri West, Mumbai • In January 2022, he completed the construction of a new bungalow in Mumbai. Interestingly, the house is a replica of his native house in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, and the actor himself designed the house. Reportedly, it took him three years to complete the construction of the house that he has named after his father, Nawab, who died in 2015 at the age of 72. [10]The Tribune

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nawazuddin Siddiqui

• Does Nawazuddin Siddiqui smoke?: Yes (a chain smoker) ^[11]The Telegraph

• Does Nawazuddin Siddiqui drink alcohol?: Yes

• He was born into a Zamindar Muslim Family called as Numberdars.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Farm in Budhana

• His father was a farmer and also used to run an Aara Machine (a wood cutting machine).

• He is the eldest among his nine siblings.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui (sitting extreme right) With His Mother And Siblings

• Throughout his childhood, he studied under the lamp; as electricity was a rarity in his village.

• After his schooling, he moved to Haridwar to pursue his graduation in Chemistry at the Gurukul Kangri University. During his graduation, he used to participate in various extra-curricular activities such as declamation, painting, and drama.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui Participating in a Declamation Contest in His College

• He has a degree in Chemistry, and during his days of struggle, he worked at a Chemist shop in Vadodara.

• He moved to Delhi to pursue his acting aspirations and joined a theatre group. Since there was not enough money in theatres, he worked as a watchman for the subsistence for around 5 years.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui During His Struggling Days

• He was enrolled in the National School of Drama (NSD), and after passing out of the NSD, he moved to Mumbai in 2004 to pursue his acting career further.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui With His NSD Fellows

• While in Mumbai, Nawaz had to face one of the worst years of his struggle. He had to stay in the apartment of one of his seniors at the NSD on the condition that he would cook the meal for him.

• He made his Bollywood debut in 1999 with a very small role in the Aamir Khan starrer film- Sarfarosh.
  
  

• Initially, he worked at the film studios and got only stereotypical roles.

• He appeared as a pickpocket in the 2003 comedy-drama- Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.- starring Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt.

• He tried to get work in the Television Industry but could not get success.

• He remained out of work between 2002-05 and shared a flat with 4 other people in Mumbai.

• In an interview, he said that although there are many instances from his earliest days in the film industry when his roles were removed from projects, Hey Ram hurt him the most as he desperately wanted to work with Kamal Haasan. According to Nawaz, he wept bitterly when he came to know that his role was axed from the film, and Kamal’s daughter, Shruti Haasan, consoled him. ^[12]Hindustan Times

• In 2007, he got a role in Anurag Kashyap‘s Black Friday, which paved the way for other important roles.

• His first lead role appearance in a feature film was as a wedding singer- Chakku in Prashant Bhargava’s Patang (2007-08). Nawazuddin considers his role in the film as the turning point of her acting career.

• He also appeared in a cameo role in the song- Emotional Atyachar of the 2009 movie- Dev D.

• He got recognition as an actor in the 2010 Aamir Khan Productions’- Peepli Live in which his role was of a journalist.

• In 2012, after playing the role of an Intelligence Officer in the film- Kahaani, he became a household name.

• Nawazuddin describes his role of Sonu Duggal in Ashim Ahluwalia’s- Miss Lovely as his most realistic performance so-far, which was premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

• His role of Faizal Khan in Anurag Kashyap‘s- Gangs of Wasseypur, established him as one of the most promising actors in the Indian Film Industry.
  

• At the 2015 New York Indian Film Festival, he bagged the Best Actor Award for his role in the film- Haraamkhor.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Haraamkhor

• In 2015, his father died due to brain haemorrhage; he was paralyzed for a few years before passing away.

• He married Anjali at a very young age; Anjali & Nawazuddin are from the same village.

• He is a very shy person; he likes to stay quiet and away from stardom.

• In April 2017, he shared a video on his Instagram account; explaining that he is not just a Muslim, but a bit of all religion.

View this post on Instagram

#SixteenPointSixSix

A post shared by Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@nawazuddin._siddiqui) on Apr 24, 2017 at 1:49am PDT

• He has worked with all the 3 Khans of Bollywood. (Salman Khan– Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Aamir Khan– Talaash & Shah Rukh Khan– Raees).
• During an interview, Nawaz revealed that had he not become an actor, he would be a farmer; as he still holds his ancestral farm fields back at home in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh.
  

  Nawazuddin Siddiqui At His Farm Fields

• In June 2023, he revealed in an interview that he would often get dragged by the collar while trying to eat with lead actors at film sets during his initial days in the industry. The actor also revealed that he never got paid for the Ram Gopal Varma movie Jungle starring Fardeen Khan and Suniel Shetty, and he compensated for that by having heavy meals for two-three months at the production house. ^[13]Koimoi