Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Recalls Spending His First Ad Earnings
Nawazuddin Siddiqui said life was difficult before he became famous.
He had acted in many small films, but few people knew about them.
One day, he and a friend went to Film City to find work in an advertisement.
They walked there because they had no money.
They were given small parts as junior artistes.
After the shoot, they were paid ₹2,500, but a coordinator took ₹2,000 because they did not have union cards.
They used much of the remaining money to eat a large meal.
By the time they returned home, they had no money left.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalled struggling through numerous small and C-grade film roles before becoming widely known.
He and a friend walked from Four Bungalows to Film City after being sent there for an advertisement shoot.
They were hired as junior artistes and received ₹2,500 after filming.
Because they lacked union cards, an artistes’ coordinator took ₹2,000 from their payment.
They spent much of the remaining money eating at Santosh Nagar and returned home without funds.
- Who
- Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and a friend were involved in the recalled incident.
- What
- They worked as junior artistes in an advertisement shoot and spent most of their earnings afterward.
- When
- The incident occurred before Nawazuddin Siddiqui achieved stardom; the account was shared earlier on one of Kapil Sharma’s shows and later resurfaced online.
- Where
- The advertisement was filmed at Film City, and the pair later ate at Santosh Nagar before returning home.
- Why
- They needed money while struggling to find steady acting work and had not eaten well for some time.
- Actor
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui
- Advertisement location
- Film City
- Initial payment
- ₹2,500
- Amount paid to coordinator
- ₹2,000
- Reason for coordinator’s demand
- The actors did not have union cards
- Meal location
- Santosh Nagar
- Final situation
- They returned home without money