MUMBAI: When Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui walks the red carpet at Cannes he may take a moment to ponder just how far he has come and where he is headed.
In just over a decade, Siddiqui has gone from a struggling bit-part actor worried about finding food to an acclaimed international star coveted by directors for his versatility across all genres.
“When your film gets selected in a good category, you feel confident that you are on the right track and your choice of films is good,” Siddiqui said in an interview.
His latest film sees him play the lead role in “Manto,” a biopic about the troubled life of Indian-Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
The movie, directed by Nandita Das, has been selected for the Un Certain Regard category of the film festival which opens Tuesday.
“I enjoy Cannes because it is such a big and prestigious platform. It’s a whole world revolving around films,” said Siddiqui.
Manto (1912-1955) is considered to be one of the Indian subcontinent’s greatest ever short story writers.
He was lauded for being bold and progressive and a proponent of free speech, writing truthfully about the brutal violence that followed the partition of British India.
To others he was a subversive troublemaker whose stories featuring pimps and prostitutes broke too many taboos. Manto was charged with obscenity a total of six times by authorities in colonial and independent India.
He died from organ failure caused by excessive alcohol consumption aged just 42.
“Manto was an honest man who wrote what he saw. He was transparent and there was no hypocrisy in his life,” said Siddiqui, who is 43.
“He thought about things in the 1940s which we fail to see or think about even today. He spoke and wrote the truth, and truth never gets old. To play him you have to be truthful too,” he added.
Siddiqui is one of Hindi cinema’s great success stories — a poor man, who from humble beginnings in a village in Uttar Pradesh state, defied the odds to make it big in Bollywood after moving to Mumbai in 2000.
By his own admission the chances were stacked against him: “I’m a five-foot six-inch, dark, ordinary-looking man. People didn’t imagine I would make it,” he said in 2015.
But after years of playing small parts Siddiqui achieved his breakthrough in 2012 with “Talaash,” “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “Miss Lovely” and “Bajrangi Bhaijaan.” He has not looked back.
“I spent 10-12 years struggling. My lowest point was to find food and survive. Now I can do the work according to my choices,” he said at his office, a collection of posters from his biggest hits hanging on a wall behind him.
Siddiqui has held his own with superstars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and also successfully crossed over into Hollywood, appearing in the 2016 hit “Lion.”
He is considered to be one of the few actors who can straddle both commercial Bollywood and independent film genres, putting him in high demand.
After “Manto,” Siddiqui will be seen in the Netflix adaptation of Vikram Chandra’s novel “Sacred Games.” It releases on July 6 and will be the site’s first original Indian series.
He is currently shooting for what he describes as his “most difficult” character yet — divisive Mumbai politician Bal Thackeray, who died in 2012.
Thackeray founded and led the Hindu far-right Shiv Sena party, which has campaigned against Muslims and sought to bar migrant “outsiders” from Mumbai. Siddiqui is both.
“Credit goes to the family and the producer who must have realized I could do justice to this complex and difficult role,” he said.
Siddiqui will be in Cannes from May 13-15 before returning to India to finish shooting “Thackeray” which releases in January 2019.
He has become a fixture on la Croisette since debuting with “Gangs of Wasseypur” (2012), walking the red carpet more than half a dozen times.
“The Lunchbox” was screened there in 2013 while “Raman Raghav” followed in 2016.
A suit that Siddiqui had made by an Indian tailor for his first visit has been a feature of all of his appearances.
This time, however, he is ditching it for a stylish tuxedo fashioned by one of India’s top designers — symbolic perhaps of how far he has come.
“The suit has its own story. But there should be change. We can’t hold onto the past,” said Siddiqui.
Bollywood star Siddiqui takes ‘free speech’ hero to Cannes
Bollywood star Siddiqui takes ‘free speech’ hero to Cannes
- His latest film sees him play the lead role in “Manto,” a biopic about the troubled life of Indian-Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of Hindi cinema’s great success stories — a poor man who defied the odds to make it big in Bollywood after moving to Mumbai
Hia Hub session highlights vital role of pharmacies in Saudi Arabia’s growing skincare market
RIYADH: Industry leaders discussed the evolving role of pharmacies in skincare during a session at Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, held in Riyadh’s JAX District from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.
The session, titled “Re-Defining the Pharmacy Channels in Skincare,” brought together prominent figures, including Charlotte Devaux, general manager of wellness and masstige, Pierre Juhen, group president of Patyka, Mahmoud Mamdouh, CEO of Whites Pharmacy, and Cynthia Kattar, editorial director of Hia Magazine.
Mamdouh emphasized the pivotal role of trust in pharmacy skincare. He said: “When discussing pharmacies and skincare, the main concept is trust.”
Over the past 15 years, pharmacies have cultivated strong relationships with customers, who often turn to pharmacists for personalized skincare consultations, he said.
Devaux added to the discussion by highlighting social media’s impact on consumer behavior.
She said that while platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offered abundant information, consumers still preferred advice from trusted pharmacists. “Wellness has become a priority for consumers, driving the growth of skincare,” she said. “This reliance on pharmacies as credible sources of information and products is crucial in a marketplace filled with conflicting messages.”
Juhen elaborated on the expansive reach of pharmacies. In Saudi Arabia, there are about 6,000 pharmacy locations, compared to 20,000 in France, he said.
He said that this dynamic retail channel had shown resilience, even during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where the pharmacy segment in France experienced growth of 4 percent.
Juhen highlighted the universal appeal of pharmacies and said: “Everyone visits pharmacies, regardless of age or socioeconomic status,” making them essential points of contact in the community.
The session concluded with a consensus among the speakers on the importance of pharmacies in the skincare sector. As trusted providers of personalized advice and quality products, pharmacies were well-positioned to lead the growth of skincare, they said.
Displaced Gazan artists’ work on display in ‘Under Fire’
- An exhibition in Amman shows works smuggled out of Gaza during the ongoing Israeli assault
DUBAI: A couple tenderly embracing each other; a family gathering; a flowering cactus; and a sunset colored in pink, yellow and orange. Such imagery represents some of the delicate drawings produced by four displaced Gazan artists, whose works are currently being showcased at Darat Al-Funun, an art center in Amman.
Other images on display make for less comfortable viewing: exhausted people with missing limbs; men kneeling blindfolded in their underwear; women and children whose eyes are wide with terror.
“Under Fire,” which runs until the end of the year, consists of around 80 artworks by Palestinian artists Basel Al-Maqousi, Majed Shala, Raed Issa and Sohail Salem. All four have been forced from their homes due to the ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, which began in October 2023.
For the exhibition’s curator, Mohammad Shaqdih, receiving the artists’ highly-charged artworks proved to be a cathartic experience. “I was following their work on social media, but when (the pieces) reached Amman and I held them in my hands, I cried at first, to be honest,” Shaqdih tells Arab News. “I was in a state of sadness and I don’t know why. While I was looking through them, I would take a drawing and then quickly put it away. There’s so much death, sadness and blood in these works. At the same time, they embody a form of resilience and resistance. They have life.”
Organizing any art exhibition comes with its own set of challenges, but planning “Under Fire” was exceptionally difficult. According to Shaqdih, communicating with the artists through messaging applications and having their works transported across the border were the main issues faced by the curatorial team.
In May and June 2024, around 100 artworks were taken from Gaza to Egypt. In early October, the works reached Jordan. “These works were passing through some conditions that were dangerous. Some of works were damaged or torn apart,” explains Shaqdih. “It was an adventure taking these works out of Gaza, but, thank God, they reached us.”
The surviving artworks — predominantly sketches and line drawings — were created, by necessity, using the most basic of materials. Raed Issa, for instance, created his figurative images on medical aid packages using tea as a coloring base. Sohail Salem drew intensely-lined pen drawings in school notebooks provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Al-Maqousi is showcasing a series of drawings of daily life in crowded camps. “He said: ‘These works are not paintings or works of art for people to see or buy. They are a part of our bodies,’” Shaqdih says.
Thematically, the artworks — which are being sold to benefit the artists — are simple and touching. They evoke despair, loss and confusion, but there are elements of hope, love and beauty. One of Issa’s images of two young individuals, depicted with unclear features, is slightly enlivened by the red flowers they hold in their hands.
“When you read the artists’ incredible accompanying statements, they’re full of human feelings,” Shaqdih says. “What they’re saying is that despite everything they’re going through with this genocide, they are still standing strong and resisting even if it’s through the act of drawing the daily massacres. They’re still able to work and express their existence as human beings under all the ugliness in this world. It’s a form of resistance and resilience.”
Majed Shala, born in Gaza in 1960, is one of the exhibition’s participants. His works in “Under Fire” depict personal memories, scenes of nature, and life under bombardment.
Shala’s home and studio were destroyed more than a year ago and he lost all of his artworks. “Under the sound of nonstop bombing, we were (told) to leave our area. We didn’t know where to go,” he tells Arab News. Shala is currently in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where, he says, “the situation is continuously difficult. There is no safety and there are no essential supplies.”
On a positive note, he says he feels a sense of pride at having his sketches on display in Amman, a city he loves and where he has many friends.
“I hope that the world stands by those who have the rights, who own the land,” says Shala, “and doesn’t simply watch indifferently from a distance.”
Future Generation Art Prize unveils 2024 winner
DUBAI: The Future Generation Art Prize, one of the art world’s most prestigious prizes initiated in Ukraine in 2009, has announced its 2024 winners. Among the recipients are multidisciplinary artists who are associated with the Arab world.
The main $100,000 prize was granted to Dhaka-based artist, Ashfika Rahman. Other “Special Prize” winners include Iraqi-Kurdish artist, Tara Abdullah Mohammed Sharif, Palestinian artist Dina Mimi, Pakistani artist Hira Nabi, Indonesian-born artist Ipeh Nur, and Zhang Xu Zhan, who was born in Taiwan.
Special Prize winners will share a $20,000 pot between them to support the development of their projects.
The prize’s 21 shortlisted artists are displaying their works at the PinchukArtCenter in Kyiv until Jan. 19, 2025 amid a recovering domestic art scene following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“A lot of artists are still actively present. Obviously, many artists in the beginning of the war have escaped but many also stayed,” artistic director of PinchukArtCenter and jury member, Björn Geldhof, told Arab News. “What is important is that from the very start of the war, artists were looking for ways to engage, and when I say ‘engage’, I don’t only mean through art, but how can they be functional in a situation like this? How can they serve their country?”
The prize’s participants this year are exploring a thoughtful range of topics, expressed through immersive installations. According to a press release, what is “recurring through the exhibition is the exploration of local histories and mythologies to overcome historical trauma and the long-lasting effects of wars, as well as the process of liberation from the oppression of colonial influence.”
What sets the Future Generation Art Prize apart from others in the field is its focus on championing up-and-coming artists who are 35 years old or younger from around the world.
One of the main issues facing emerging artists is a lack of access to curators, galleries and museum professionals to help boost their careers and encourage their artistic practice, according to Geldhof.
“We want to really speak to an emerging generation with the strong belief that they kind of imagine the future,” he said. “They are dealing with concerns differently than the middle generation, so to speak. . . They imagine, in a very different way, how the world can look like.”
New York’s Met collaborates with Mideast homeware label Sedar on art-inspired furnishings
DUBAI: New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Middle Eastern interiors brand Sedar Global are collaborating on a new range of soft furnishings featuring works of art in the former’s collection, with the first launch celebrating nature-themed creations.
Nahel Selo, creative director at Sedar Global Interiors, spoke to Arab News recently about the collection and what he envisions the most popular prints will be — including whether there are plans to feature Arab artists.
The works of artists including French impressionist Claude Monet, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, Japanese printmaker Katsushika Hokusai and Austrian painter Gustav Klimt have been translated into fabric form.
They will be used for wallpaper, curtains, upholstery and pillows to “(make) fine art accessible in a way that fits seamlessly into the home,” Selo said.
According to Sedar, the initial release “celebrates nature and new life through elements like land, sea, and air” and Selo explained the decision to launch with this collection.
“Nature has a universal appeal, and we felt that it’s something people can connect with on a deeper level, especially in our region where the landscape is diverse yet often harsh … plus, nature-themed designs are versatile; they complement both contemporary and traditional interiors,” he said.
While the target market includes individual homeowners and interior designers working on larger projects, Selo predicts that the “sea-inspired pieces might steal the show.
“There’s something about the fluidity and tranquility of the ocean that speaks to people, especially in coastal areas.”
Future seasonal introductions will be thematic in nature, drawing on the 1.5 million works in The Met’s collection, which spans 5,000 years of art from around the globe.
When it comes to Middle Eastern creatives, Selo says the team at Sedar, which translates the artworks into pattern-form and soft furnishings before they are approved by The Met, is “looking into it.
“It would be a beautiful way to celebrate our regional culture. We’re exploring ways to bring in local artistry and add that unique Middle Eastern touch to future capsule collection releases,” he noted.
When it comes to his own home, the creative designer is not one to shy away from bold uses of color and print.
“My home is slightly more bold and industrial. So I’d probably go for a (Wassily) Kandinsky on a wallpaper feature behind my sofa.
“Kandinsky’s geometry styles add depth and a statement talking point to a space,” he said, referring to the abstractionist Russian painter who died in 1944.
May Calamawy celebrates her birthday with tribute to Palestine
DUBAI: Egyptian Palestinian actress May Calamawy celebrated her birthday this week with a tribute to Palestine.
The star took to Instagram to share a picture of her cake, decorated with a doll centerpiece, colorful candles, and gold flakes. She captioned it “unhinged and reaching for the (stars),” adding star emojis, and continued with “Free Palestine” written in Arabic.
Her friends and fans quickly took to the comments section to send their well wishes to the actress.
Calamawy has been actively using her platform to advocate for and support the people of Palestine, sharing images of herself wearing the keffiyeh scarf and posting content that sheds light on the war in the region.
Last month, the actress starred in a campaign for Egyptian Canadian brand Kotn, which creates clothing made from 100% Egyptian cotton. The brand released a Fall/Winter collection titled “El Nady,” which means “the club.”
In a short skit shared on Instagram — paying tribute to co-founder Rami Helali’s childhood memories in Cairo’s iconic sporting clubs — Calamawy and her co-stars, including Canadian comedian Dave Merheje, Egyptian American comedian Kareem Rahma, Palestinian American podcaster Noor Elkhaldi and Yemeni American actress Zainab Johnson, sported jerseys that read “Nabulsi Soap,” styled with pieces from the collection.
For example, Calamawy wore a knit cardigan over the jersey along with a skort, Johnson paired hers with a blazer, Rahma added a cream cardigan and Merheje accessorized with a bandana under a cap.
Calamawy is blazing a trail as one of Hollywood’s rising stars. Her breakthrough role came in 2019 as a series regular on Hulu’s Peabody-winning and Emmy-nominated comedy series “Ramy.”
The actress, who was born in Bahrain, also played the role of Layla El-Faouly in Marvel miniseries “Moon Knight.” Her dual character is the wife of Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector — an archaeologist who by season’s end had transformed into the superhero Scarlet Scarab.
Calamawy previously told Arab News that acting alongside Isaac and Ethan Hawke was “intimidating, like, really intimidating at first.”
She explained: “Once I got to know them, I would be, like, ‘Guys I’m intimidated,’ and that helped. After a while you don’t care anymore and its fun because I got to have a masterclass with the best.”
