Nawazuddin Siddiqui (born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor, known for his works in Hindi cinema. An alumnus of the National School of Drama. Nawazuddin Siddiqui started getting roles in independent films; these were the films which gave him and Indian Cinema recognition internationally. Most of his Independent films have received critical acclaim at International Films Festivals, such as the Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Busan Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has appeared in four major cinemas, earning the title of Breakthrough Talent at the 2012 GQ Men of the Year Awards. Siddiqui’s feature film debut was alongside director Prashant Bhargava in Patang (2012), which premiered at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival, for which Nawazuddin Siddiqui was presented with the Thumbsup Trophy by the cinema critic Roger Ebert. He also gained international recognitions for his work alongside director Anurag Kashyap in Black Friday (2007), the Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) duology and Raman Raghav 2.0. Siddiqui is best known for his roles in The Lunchbox (2013), which premiered as part of the International Critics' Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and won him multiple awards, Manto (2018), a groundbreaking performance that won him Best Actor at the 2018 Asian Pacific Screen Awards, and Raman Raghav 2.0 for which he won the Fancine Malaga Award in Spain and in Asia Pacific Screen Awards, both in the category of Best Actor. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the only Actor in the world to have 8 films officially selected and screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. In spite of being very busy with film shoots, Siddiqui continues to take time out to farm in his native Uttar Pradesh. He is an active motivational speaker, drawing on his struggles and experiences to inspire. He stars in two Emmy nominated series, Sacred Games (2019), a two-season Netflix original series for which he was conferred with the GQ – Men of the Year Award 2018 for the second time and United Kingdom's McMafia directed by James Watkins. Recently Nawazuddin Siddiqui was awarded with the highest honorary, The Lesley Ho Asian Film Talent Award at the prestigious Singapore International Film Festival for his globally appreciated series Sacred Games duology.