Who's to blame? Nawazuddin memoir author comes under fire for controversy

It has now become a trend for many celebrities to write their autobiography alongside an author. This year saw many book releases of the likes of Karan Johar, Rishi Kapoor and Asha Parekh, who shared many stories from their lives that were hidden from the public eye. Joining the same bandwagon, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, too, came out with his memoir — An Ordinary Life — which was co-authored by Rituparna Chatterjee.

However, in a matter of days, the memoir, which revealed Nawaz’s romantic relationship with his Miss Lovely co-star, Niharika Singh, started receiving backlash for its language. As a result of this, the actor soon withdrew the memoir, explaining that he regretted his decision. And now, in a strange turn of events, many are pointing the finger at the autobiography’s co-author, Rituparna, commenting that she should have advised the actor to refrain from putting out such intimate details in public.

The book cover of An Ordinary Life

Veteran actress Asha Parekh, who wasn’t too happy with Nawaz’s book, said during an interview, “Nawazuddin should have thought of the repercussions before plunging into the book. And his co-writer should have also been careful. Perhaps Nawaz shared all the intimate details of his life with his co-writer. But she should have advised him on how to use his experiences in the book.” Although many took a dig at Rituparna, the author remained unavailable for comments.

In an earlier statement, while discussing the withdrawal of the book, a source close to Nawaz had said, “The past few days have not been easy on Nawaz. The truth is, his command over the English language is inadequate, so perhaps the memoir should have been written in Hindi. The excerpts where he went into the alleged details of his relationships with two female friends came across as tasteless and should never have gone into the book. But Nawaz depended, to a large extent, on his co-author Rituparna Chatterjee in putting across his thoughts.

Now he feels he should have curbed his flights of fancy.”However, one wonders whether Nawaz can go scot-free just because he is not well-versed with the language. “I do not believe that the actor is not to blame. Because the publishing house always makes sure that everything that goes in the book is read and passed by the actor. I don’t think Nawazuddin Siddqui doesn’t know that much English that he doesn’t understand what he is reading,” says Meena Iyer, co-author of the book Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored.