Don’t use my name to sell products, or else be prepared to face consequences: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Nawazuddin Siddiqui who is currently one of the most sought-after star-actors of the country is facing the problem that all successful actors have to: his old forgotten unreleased films are being excavated for exhibition by opportunistic producers. But the case of Gangs Of Gardulley whose makers have accused Nawaz of ignoring them and their plea to complete their film, is a unique. Nawaz says he had shot for a short-film which without his knowledge or consent the makers have turned into a full-length feature film. Speaking exclusively to this writer from Shimutala in Bihar where he is shooting for Budddadeb Dasgupta’s Hindi film, Nawaz says, “This is from very early in my acting career when I was hungrily doing anything that was offered to me. It was one of the 70-odd short films that I did even before I did that cameo in Kabir Khan’s New York. It was a short film on drug abuse of 30 minutes’ duration.” Long-forgotten Nawaz is appalled at its makers appearing from nowhere claiming they have an incomplete feature film that they wanted the actor to pay attention to Horrified and amused Nawaz says, “I didn’t have any recollection of this short-film because it was called something else when I shot for it. Now they’ve re-titled it Gangs Of Gardulley to cash in on my Gangs Of Wasseypur. What’s more, I had worked with a different director. Now they’ve brought in someone else as director. So they’re talking about a different project, not the one I’ve done.” More horror for Nawaz: “I found out that they’ve secretly shot more footage with other actors without my knowledge and turned the short-film with me into a feature film. How can they do this? It’s totally illegal.” Nawaz is considering his options to stop his name being associated with a feature-film he never shot for. “The thing is, I am going through the most satisfying phase of my career. As an actor I never thought I’d be doing all this wonderful work. Today I am working with Buddhadeb Dasgupta.And it’s an amazing experience. There was a time when I accepted anything on any medium, television or cinema, which came my way. I even did a film with Joginder called Bindiya Maange Bandook. This is when I had shot the drug-abuse short-film that is now being project as a feature film. I request producers to not use my name to sell products that I have nothing to do with. Or be prepared to face consequences.”