With Bollywood going through a slump with even the big-budget films failing to get the cash registers ringing at the box office, the whole debate around the rising production cost and excess entourage of actors has gained steam. Expressing his views on the matter, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says, “Yeh aaj se nahi, bohot pehle se hota aa raha hai.”

Stating that he has heard about several such celebrities who throw tantrum on sets, he adds, “There are many unnecessary demands that actors have, they want everything lavish. I have even heard that some actors have five vanity vans — one for gymming, one for cooking, one for eating, bathing, practising lines, and what not. Yeh paagalpan hai. koi paagal hi hoga jo paanch vanity van leke chalta hai.”

The 50-year-old actor strongly stands by when he says that it’s wrong to be so unreasonable. “Why would any actor want to increase the cost of the production? This is absolutely wrong. Put money in films instead, that would be better [and wiser] thing to do. Jo inn nawaabon ko shaunk hain woh toh film mein nawaabon ke bhi nahi honge,” quips the actor, who will be seen in Zee 5 film Rautu Ka Raaz.

Clarifying that he prefers to focus on his craft and not have any such demands, the actor says, “I just wish that I should work well and nothing else. Meri toh aisi koi demands nahi hoti. Production ke time se pehle main khada hota hoon shoot ke liye.”

Siddiqui, who made his acting debut with the 1999-film Sarfarosh, has completed 25 years in the industry. Expressing gratitude, he calls the journey “amazing”. “Jo maine socha tha, usse bhi upar mujhe uparwaale ne diya hai. I am thankful to my directors who gave my every kind of role to play,” he states, and elaborates on the “several changes” he has observed in all these years.

Hailing independent filmmakers and youngsters for not being in awe of Bollywood, he elaborates, “They make content on their own terms, bring stories where they come from and I feel really good about that. It gives me hope that this kind of cinema will grow. Main challenge ke saath kehta hoon, hamesha choti aur deep filmen hi desh ki pehchaan hain jo world mein popular hoti hain. Cinema should be for independent filmmakers who thrive on content, and not be concerned about only making it look lavish,” concludes Siddiqui.

Read Also: t.j. holmes calls out jokes about justin timberlake's arrest: ‘his kids have to see that and endure that’