Meet actor who sold coriander, worked as watchman, was called 'ugly'; later became one of Bollywood's highest-paid star

Every actor who has made it big in the industry, whether it's Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan, faced their share of struggle before living a luxurious life. One such actor, outsider, who was called 'ugly' became one of the highest-paid stars in Bollywood. 

The actor we are talking about used to work as a watchman, sell coriander for his survival. He started his career working as a chemist but then later transitioned into an actor. He is Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 

Born in a village in UP, after completing his graduation in Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Nawazuddin Siddiqui decided to support his family and started working as a chemist. However, after a brief period of time he decided to pursue his passion for acting and left for Delhi to join the National School of Drama.

However, his journey to become an actor was not easy. As he wasn’t from a very well-to do family, he revealed in an interview, that for his survival in Delhi, he used to borrow money from friends and even took odd jobs to earn money. 

He told Humans of Bombay, “Financially, I wasn’t well off. I would borrow money from my friends and would promise them to return in two days. Later, I would borrow from someone else and pay the first person back. Lived in flat with four other people. Sometimes as a watchman, sometimes selling coriander. I even held acting workshops.” 

Not only this, he also recalled how people used to call him ‘ugly’ and was rejected for many roles. However, after a point of time, he accepted this himself. He said, “Haa phale bauth hota tha, shak ko le ke, kaale ho, patle ho, height bhi nahi hai, voh bhi nahi hai. Aur mein bura bhi nahi manta, mein kheta hu, ki mai ugly hu, I’m an average looking guy, aur mein issi shakal mein apko kar ke dikhayounga. Is rejections ki wajah se gussa aaya and I started working.”

He moved to Mumbai in 1999 and started his career with a small role in Aamir Khan starrer Sarfarosh. For his first film, he charged Rs 500. After doing small roles in films like Black Friday, Dev D and more, Nawazuddin then appeared in the 2012 film Kahaani, in which he played the archetypal short-tempered intelligence officer Khan. However, he shot to fame with Anurag Kashyap's gangster epic Gangs of Wasseypur. The film made him a known name in Bollywood. After this there was no looking back for him. 

He went on to star in Salman Khan's Kick and his portrayal of a strong antagonist made him a star. The film turned blockbuster and was followed by another super blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Soon he became one of the highest-paid stars in Bollywood. He has proven his versitality in several roles ranging from the hero to villain and has worked with superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. 

He now reportedly charges Rs 10 crore per film and has a reported net worth of Rs 96 crore. The actor who was once struggling financially, now has a house which is worth Rs 13 crores. 

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