Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalls the time his father 'met' Amitabh Bachchan

It's a sin to lie, but if a lie can inspire someone to dream big then it's not a bad lie at all. Believe it or not, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s passion for cinema was born out of lies, fictitious tales that his father Nawabuddin Siddiqui told to cheer up his children.

The Mom (2017) actor posted a heartfelt note on Twitter about how his father told fictitious tales about meeting Bachchan, which indirectly enabled Nawazuddin to dream big in life. This letter was in a way Nawazuddin's tribute to Bachchan, who turns 75 today (11 October)

Amitabh Bachchan turns 75: The stars speak about the phenomenon

“In 1984-85, Abbu used to visit Delhi frequently during his latest trip he said he had met the superstar Amitabh Bachchan in the parliament (sic)," wrote Nawzuddin.

When little Nawazuddin asked his father what he told Bachchan, his father said, “I said you won’t be able to do much films Bachchanji, you are in politics now.” To which Bachchan replied, “Arrey Nawab saheb, ab kahan filmein. Bas ab toh sirf politics.” (From hereon, no films only politics.”

Amitabh Bachchan turns 75: And the star shines on...

As he grew old, Nawazuddin realised that his father was cooking up the stories, and he felt his father was trying to live the life he aspired through his lies. But later, it was these lies that inspired Nawazuddin to dream and he respects his father for it.

“The falseness of his anecdotes began to strike me the moment he would begin narrating. What a small man my father was. I would think. He tries to become a big man based on lies. Soon though, I realised, how desperate he was. And instead of hating him, I began to love my father even more for his lies. All Abbu wanted was to be a hero in the eyes of his children, even if he was failure in his own eyes, and in the eyes of the world. It was such an endearing attempt, it’s hard not to melt into tears,” wrote Nawazuddin.

Amitabh Bachchan turns 75: Jaya Bachchan recalls first meeting with 'distinguished-looking' young man

Nawazuddin has worked with Bachchan in Te3N (2016).

Here's the full note: