Happy birthday Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Tracking a long journey of struggle and bit roles

Little drops make a mighty ocean. American poet Julia Carney's inspirational quote remains immortal. It is not just the film industry, but any profession that requires patience and perseverance to achieve one’s dreams. For actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a star in his own right today, it has been a long and hard grind before he could finally find his feet in cinema.

Siddiqui, hailing from a backward region of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, had no godfather in the film industry, a place notorious for the use of family connections. Nor was he blessed with great looks. Siddiqui came to Mumbai with just hope. He did odd jobs, worked in shops, even as a security guard. In a TV show, Siddiqui said he was without regular work for close to a dozen years. But he stuck it out. And today he is a popular actor whose appearance on screen elicits wolf whistles and grand applause.

But Siddiqui began his acting career in a very small way, playing blink-and-miss roles in some films. It is very likely that you may not have marked his presence in some of those films. Siddiqui’s been around since the late 1990s, but it was only with Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) that his career took off.

As the actor turns 44 today (he was born on 19 May 1974), take a look at this video that sums up a struggle of a dozen years.