Kubbra Sait and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are co-stars of Sacred Games (courtesy Netflix)
A day after former beauty queen and actress Niharika Singh named her former boyfriend Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a lengthy #MeToo account, actress Kubbra Sait, who famously co-starred with the 44-year-old actor in Netflix's Sacred Games, jumped to his defence. In her tweets, Ms Sait said though she does not dismiss the fact that Ms Singh may have battled harassment in the industry but she also highlighted that an account of a failed relationship doesn't resonate with the idea of the #MeToo movement. "A relationship gone sour, isn't #MeToo. Someone needs to recognise the toxic difference before we go picking sides. I stand by Nawazuddin Siddiqui or Nowaz as a man," read one of Ms Sait's tweet. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has not yet responded to the allegations.
In the following tweet, Kubbra Sait added: "I stand by the fact that although Niharika Singh may have had a tough time in the industry, categorising her once personal relationship as a #MeToo statement is incorrectly placed. We as humans are flawed. That isn't gender specific." Niharika Singh and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who co-starred in Miss Lovely, reportedly dated for about a year-and-a-half.
Here's how Kubbra Sait spoke up in favour of Nawazuddin Siddiqui:
Over the weekend, Niharika Singh's account was shared by journalist Sandhya Menon, who is one of those leading the #MeToo campaign on Twitter. Mentioning Nawazuddin Siddiqui liked to be called 'Nowaz', Ms Singh alleged Mr Siddiqui forced himself on her, after which she confessed to giving in. "I invited him over and asked him to come and have breakfast with me. When I opened the door, he grabbed me. I tried to push him away but he wouldn't let go. After little coercion, I finally gave in. I wasn't sure what to make of this relationship. He told me it was his dream to have a Miss India or an actress wife - just like Paresh Rawal and Manoj Bajpayee. I found his little confession funny but endearing," read an excerpt from Niharika Singh's post.
It appears, the Mr Siddiqui had recounted a similar account in his own words in his now-retracted biography, as was mentioned in an excerpt, which was initially published in mid-day last year: "For the very first time I went to Niharika's house... When she opened the door, revealing a glimpse of the house, I was speechless with amazement. And I, being the lusty village bumpkin that I am, scooped her up in my arms and headed straight for the bedroom. We made passionate love. And just like that, out of the blue, I began a relationship with Niharika Singh, a relationship which I did not know then would last for almost one and a half years."
Meanwhile, in her account, Niharika Singh has also claimed that she decided to part ways with Nawazuddin Siddiqui after discovering a barrage of lies, including that he was allegedly married to a woman in Haldwani. She also alleged that Bhushan Kumar wanted to meet her on the pretext of getting to "know her better", which she smartly denied.
Last year, Nawazuddin Siddiqui retracted his biography titled An Ordinary Life: A Memoir after his former girlfriends - Sunita Rajwar and also Niharika Singh - accused him of misrepresenting facts in his book, none of who, however, denied having an affair. Mr Siddiqui withdrew his book after posting an apology, in which he wrote: "I'm apologising to everyone who's sentiments are hurt because of the chaos around my memoir An Ordinary Life. I hereby regret and decide to withdraw my book."
On the work front, Manto remains Nawazuddin Siddiqui's last film while his portrayal of an underworld don in Sacred Games will be etched in Netflix viewers' minds forever. Kubbra Sait played his transgender partner in Sacred Games.
If you would like to share any information relevant to NDTV, please emailworksecure@ndtv.com