Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui will quit working in productions made for the streaming market. He called the online platforms ‘a dumping ground for redundant shows’. In the past few years, there has been a surge in content on streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, Hotstar and Netflix. Coincidentally, Nawaz had starred in Netflix’s first Indian original series Sacred Games, which received international acclaim. He played the role of the hardened and dreaded gangster Ganesh Gaitonde, and received much praise for his performance. The series starred Saif Ali Khan as well.
In an interview, Nawaz said, “The platform has become a dumping ground for redundant shows. We either have shows that don’t deserve to be seen in the first place or sequels to shows that have nothing more to say,” he said.
He added, “It’s become ‘dhanda’ (Hindi for racket) for big production houses and actors. Major film producers in Bollywood have cut lucrative deals with all the big players in the OTT field. Producers get whopping amounts to create unlimited content.” He mentioned that the excitement and challenge that he had experienced when he worked in 'Sacred Games' has evaporated. “When I can’t bear to watch them how can I bear to be in them?” Nawaz said.
