May 5, 2025: In a candid interview, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui pulled no punches as he criticised the current state of Bollywood, accusing the industry of creative stagnation and an over-reliance on formulas and copying content.
While promoting his upcoming film Costao, Nawaz expressed deep frustration with the industry’s lack of originality.
“In our industry, the same thing is repeated for five years straight — then, when people get bored, they finally let it go,” he said, adding that insecurity among filmmakers is at an all-time high.
He called out the trend of endless sequels and remakes, saying,
“It’s not just bankruptcy, it’s creativeruptcy. There’s a lot of creative poverty. From the beginning, our industry has been stealing — songs, stories, everything.”
Nawaz even went as far as to question how an industry built on copying could foster creativity:
“How can thieves be creative? We’ve stolen from the South, from everywhere. Even scenes from cult films have been copied. This theft has been so normalised that no one questions it anymore.”
He also lamented the exit of filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, who once brought originality to the table but have been sidelined or disillusioned with the industry’s direction.
The interview has sparked conversations about the state of originality in Bollywood, with many fans praising Nawaz for his honesty and others debating whether the criticism is fully justified.