Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Annu Kapoor have shared screen space in Bollywood for years, but not every industry encounter between them went smoothly. Annu Kapoor once opened up about an interview that turned distinctly awkward, and the story remains quite something.Speaking on a podcast with journalist Shubhankar Mishra, veteran actor Annu Kapoor recalled being invited to Goa years ago, where a club had organised an event and asked him to interview Nawazuddin Siddiqui on stage. He admitted he was initially impressed learning that Nawaz held a Master’s degree in Chemistry, but that admiration didn’t last long.
Annu Kapoor recalls awkward exchange with Nawazuddin Siddiqui
According to Annu, the mood shifted when he tried to ease the flat, sluggish conversation by asking Nawaz about his love life. “Wo zyada jawaab nahi de rahe the, to maine mahaul ko thoda halka karne ke liye socha ki unki love life ke baare mein poochh loon. Jab maine unse unke rishton ke baare mein poocha, to unhone kaha, ‘Bahut si aayin aur chali gayin'” (He was not responding much so I thought to lighten the situation a bit and ask about his love life. When I asked him about his relationships, he replied, ‘Many came and went’), Annu recalled.
Annu Kapoor said Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s response about his past relationships gave him the impression that the actor was being frivolous.Image credit (Instagram)
It was the tone of that answer, Annu said, that changed his impression entirely. “Jis tareeke se unhone ye kaha, usse mujhe laga ki wo ek frivolous kisam ka aadmi hain. ‘Bahut si aayin aur chali gayin’ se aapka kya matlab hai? Ye bahut his saste kisam ka comment hota hai” (The way he said it gave me the impression that he is a frivolous type of man. What do you mean by ‘many came and went’? It’s a very cheap type of comment), he said.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave one word answers, says Annu Kapoor
When host Shubhankar Mishra pointed out that the two clearly hadn’t hit it off, Annu agreed, adding that the whole interaction had been largely one-sided. “He didn’t have any answers to my questions, so I had to keep speaking,” he said.
Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Annu Kapoor said the interaction with Nawazuddin Siddiqui did not meet his expectations despite his initial admiration for the actor.Image credit (Instagram)
He also recalled that when organisers later complained he’d done all the talking, he pushed back. “What kind of person have you brought for an interview if he has nothing to say? How would he disrespect me? I would have thrown him out if he did. He disrespected himself,” he added.What comes through in Kapoor’s retelling is less about anger and more about genuine disappointment. He’d gone in expecting an engaging exchange with someone he respected academically, and instead found the interaction stilted and, in his words, frivolous. The frustration seems rooted in how the comment landed rather than the comment itself, a tone issue as much as a content one.
Annu Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s latest work
Both actors have kept fairly busy schedules since. Annu Kapoor was most recently seen in ‘Uttar Da Puttar’, a comedy built around the theme of Vastu and destiny, which released in cinemas on July 24. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, meanwhile, was last seen in ‘Main Actor Nahin Hoon’, which had its India theatrical run in May, and has a slate of new projects including ‘Blind Babu’ and ‘Section 108’ lined up for release later this year.
