Entertainment Desk : Known for possessing exceptional talent and immensely versatile performances, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said there are mediocre actors in the industry who are doing well because they have influential friends in the industry, reports The Statesman.

And, the bottomline is one can’t criticise them.

In a tete-e-tete with an entertainment channel, Nawazuddin Siddiqui said that actors like Manoj Bajpayee and himself have never gotten the opportunity to head big-budget films.

He said the actors who are average get attention because they have money and friends who give them a platform and create opportunities around them.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui had to initially face a lot of hardship to establish himself as an actor in Bollywood.

It was Anurag Kashyap’s movie “Gangs of Wasseypur” that gave him a foothold in the industry.

Nawazuddin then spoke about how they are not getting opportunities to star in big-budget movies. Whether it was Manoj Bajpayee, or Irrfan Khan nobody has made a film with them in mind. They keep calling us great actors, but no one has ever invested big money in them.

Meanwhile, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is doing a film titled - Afwaah opposite Bhumi Pednekar while he is also promoting another film of his Jogira Sara Ra Ra.

49-year-old Siddiqui is from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly, he graduated with a bachelor of science degree but later started working as a chemist in Vadodara before he ventured into acting and joined the National School of Drama in Delhi.