Zaamana Badal Gaya Hai, Khan Logo Ka Zaamana Abh Gaya Nahi Hai, Woh Phir Raj Karenge

Ali Peter John

The superstar Khans have been under much fire as their films failed miserably at the box office. Salman Khan's Race 3, Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan and Shah Rukh Khan's Zero were bashed by critics and audience alike. The films were big-budget and highly-anticipated. Meanwhile, smaller-budget films with the newer crop of actors like Ayushmann Khurrana's Badhai Ho and Andhadhun, Rajkummar Rao's Stree, did soaring business at the box office.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has been steadily making a name for himself with diverse films, said that it was wrong to target the Khans and added that there has been a shift in cinema. "Change in cinema happened long time back. Filmmakers like Shekhar Kapur, Anurag Kashyap, Ram Gopal Verma are to be credited for it. These days actors are saying they are bringing the change but that's not true, whatever shift in cinema has happened is because of the filmmakers I mentioned.

"Actors shooting in small town is nothing new, this was already explored in films like Dev D and many more films in the past. It's just that big stars are going now which is why you are saying that times are changing, the content-driven cinema is finally taking shape. I feel the change that you see today is nothing but a coincidence and the definition of content-driven still includes all the recipe that's aimed at a Bollywood masala entertainer. You need to put 4-5 songs, you have to make it a little fun, humourous irrespective of what the subject is. I think hardcore cinema still has a certain pocket to reach...So I don't think any big change has happened as yet...But I am sure it will happen soon," he said.

On what he has to say about the Khans being called out and comparing their films to new-age cinema, he said, "Ek picture flop ho gayi toh thodi na Khan ka zamaana chala gaya...Aisa nahi hota (Just because one picture flopped doesn't mean the Khan era has ended....It doesn't work like that)."

Nawaz was last seen in Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray's biopic Thackeray. Nawaz played the lead role in the film alongside Amrita Rao, who portrayed Thackeray's wife Meenatai Thackeray.

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