Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalls being rejected from a TV show for his looks: Makers said they'll have to put on extra lights

Nawazuddin Siddiqui had experienced a long struggle before making it big in the Indian film industry. The struggle also included facing harsh comments from filmmakers, especially when it came to looks.

In a recent interview, the actor opened up about being a victim of colourism when he was in the running for a role in a TV show. Siddiqui said that he often faced comments like he doesn't look like an actor or he has "unconventional looks".

"When I used to ask for work in TV shows, they used to tell me ‘We cannot cast you because it will take more time. We’ll have to put on extra lights, whereas we have to send one episode every day. If we cast you, it will take 1.5 days, we’ll face losses. Better you find something else," the actor told News18. 

After facing this treatment, the actor decided he would rather work in movies. However, even then the screen time allocated to him did not extend beyond a "40-seconds scene or one minute or two." Siddiqui said it took him 5-6 years to get a chance to be in two scenes. 

The actor has been vocal about facing discrimination on the basis of his looks before. In a 2021 interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor claimed to have "fought” racism in Bollywood "for many years." He also spoke about how more "dark-skinned actresses are made heroines."

The actor will be next seen as villain Laila in Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria's action movie Heropanti 2, which releases on April 29. His other projects include Tiku Weds Sheru, Noorani Chehra, Bole Chudiyan and Jogira Sa Ra Ra.