Nawazuddin Siddiqui has had his share of struggles over the years. The actor, in interviews, has often spoken about initial rejections and how he had to work as a security guard to survive in Mumbai. It was only after Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) that the actor’s talent was finally recognised.

Now, in a recent conversation with Radio Nasha, Nawazuddin spoke about the emotional toll of those years and how his confidence started diminishing after receiving multiple rejections. “In the beginning, you have a lot of confidence and passion. But gradually, after facing repeated struggles, your confidence starts to fade. You begin to doubt yourself, whether what you learned was wrong, which is why you’re not getting work,” he said.

“I have seen that mental state where I started doubting myself, felt unfit. It feels like bad luck has struck you — like every opportunity slips away just when you’re about to get it. For almost 10 years, I felt like I was manhus (unlucky). Whenever a big opportunity came, it would suddenly slip away,” he added.

He also revealed how opportunities would come his way, only to slip out at the last moment.

“I would even tell my brother and friends that I had got work in a film. But when the shooting dates arrived, I would be fired — sometimes without even being informed. There were many times when I felt like crying in the middle of the road. And I did cry — while also looking around to make sure no one was watching.”

Nawazuddin also spoke about the time when he was so poor that he could only afford biscuits for meals. “I survived on Parle-G biscuits. Whenever I eat Parle-G even today, it takes me back to Delhi — breakfast, lunch, dinner, it was all Parle-G. Even now, if I eat it, it makes me feel like I have nothing. The taste still brings a lot of pain,” he said.

On the work front, Nawazuddin will next be seen in Aditya Kripalani’s I Am Not an Actor which is slated to release next week. He also has Tumbbad 2 in the pipeline.