Veteran actor, Adnan Siddiqui is one of the busiest persons in showbiz these days. But despite his hectic schedule, he finds time to talk about the movies he watches, the music he listens to, and the books that he finds time to read.
“You see you can’t have an all time favourite movie because there have been way so many classics in the past and we will keep getting them in the future. With changing times my favourite movies keep on changing so I can’t pick any one particular classic”. However, there are quite a few flicks that are close to his heart. And while he admits watching almost every genre of movies, he gets a kick out of watching gangster movies, especially ones based on real life characters.
“I love to watch the underworld dons doing their job like dealing with drugs etc. although I am very much against drugs in real life”. He thoroughly enjoyed Scarface that is one evergreen movie from this particular genre. Still, he repeats that his like for movies of all kind.
He loves the way the drama unfolds in Gladiator which is one of those memorable flicks that are in Adnan’s favourite’s list.
Among the romantic chick flicks, he enjoys recalling The Wedding Planner. And as for actresses, there’s no other like Julia Roberts in the typical romantic comedy roles such as those in Notting Hill and Runaway Bride.
However, Mumbai’s productions are really his cup of tea, not the recent ones anyway. The obvious reason he puts forward is the time constraint. Lagaan is one exception while Aandhi is a brilliant gem. Adnan considers both of them, masterpieces.
“Lagaan is a movie of international standards. It was not because of money that was invested in it but because of the way in which the script was handled. No wonder it was nominated at the Oscars.”
Recently, he watched Main Hoon Na and thought that it had the right ingredients to be declared a hit. The best part of the movie, according to him was Sushmita Sen. “The lady looked gorgeous in those lovely outfits and oozed a style of her own.”
Adnan is one crazy movie buff and feels that this is too vast topic to be narrowed down. There are so many people who have made some valuable contribution in this field throughout the world. He is an ardent fan of oldie hits but at the same time, sings and praises U2. He also appreciates Sting for his musical virtuosity.
According to Adnan, the commercial Bollywood music has a mass appeal. Sometimes it can even get way ahead of its time. The romantic genre of Indian ‘filmi’ music is very infectious. He can’t help but hum the tune of Kal Ho Na Ho when he talks about such songs. “Just concentrate on the message that this song has. Life is so unpredictable. Whatever you have today can be lost tomorrow,” he explains as he keeps up with his humming.
Another song that he recalls, though for a different reason, is Dilbar Dilbar from the Sirf Tum. According to Adnan, Sushmita is ‘simply stunning in this song’. As for the Pakistani pop-music scene, he acknowledges that it is growing and maturing at a very fast pace. “The rock music of Pakistan is rocking in a true sense of word. I must mention that I like each and everyone in the pop scene because all of them have made our country proud and soon our music is going to rule the world,” says Adnan.
Adnan confesses that he is not into serious literature as such but likes to read light fiction. He says that he likes books that are based on the ‘courtroom scenes’. “I like to go through the situations in the court where there are many arguments and counter arguments and in the end a conclusion is being drawn.” Runaway Jury is one book based on the similar theme, and is indeed his favourite. “Mussat is another similar kind of book that I have read and found it quite brilliant.”
Stephen Hawking’s History of Time is also one of Adnan’s favourites. He is very touched by the real life of this author. He says, “This man may have some physical weaknesses but is gifted in some other ways. His forte is his knowledge and it is amazing to see the work that he has done while still on a wheelchair. This man gives you a lot of inspiration to work hard.
“I don’t read serious literature because I can hardly understand it. I have read some of Ghalib’s work, but couldn’t proceed further.”
Veteran actor, Adnan Siddiqui is one of the busiest persons in showbiz these days. But despite his hectic schedule, he finds time to talk about the movies he watches, the music he listens to, and the books that he finds time to read.
