When Nawazuddin Siddiqui met famous Hollywood critic Roger Ebert | Hindi Movie News

American’s most beloved film critic Roger Ebert who died on April 4, 2013 had called out Nawazuddin Siddiqui after seeing his performance in Prashant Bhargava’s Patang. Giving the film his highest 4-star rating, Ebert had commented: “It flies as free and colorfully as a kite.”
Roger Ebert whose reviews have inspired many generations of critics across the world, invited Nawaz home for lunch.

Recalled Nawazuddin, “Mr Ebert and his wife played perfect hosts. Though he couldn’t speak I didn’t for a minute feel any inadequacy in our communication.”

At the exclusive lunch with Roger Ebert the other two guests were actor Michael Shanon (from Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road) and the prolific Australian director Paul Cox. All three –Ebert, Shannon and Cox—showed an interest in watching Nawazuddin’s performance in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur.

Roger Ebert was widely considered to be one of America’s most revered and feared critics. He lost his voice to cancer. Nawazuddin Siddiqui discovered this when he flew down to Ebert’s home-town Illinois.

In a moving tribute Ebert ‘spoke’ on stage about Nawazuddin’s work. Profoundly moved by the praise, the actor says, “He had lost his voice and in fact the bottom of his face was gone. But his passion for cinema remained the same. Mr Ebert actually gave public speeches. He lip-synced to pre-recorded speeches on stage.”

To ‘hear’ Ebert praise Nawazuddin in such a way was the most memorable compliment of the actor’s life.