The drumbeats for Nawazuddin Siddiqui play loudly. The celebrations for this dark prince from the hinterland in Budhana, UP have reached a new crescendo. His recent performance as the unlawful Liak in Badlapur has further endorsed his talent. “Yes, my role won much appreciation. I could sense the audience’s reaction during the film’s premiere. But I left before the film ended,” he says adding, “I can’t handle attention. It scares me. I just like to do my job honestly. I can’t face the crowd. I’d rather slip unnoticed.”
The actor may not have the courage to face people but once he did crave for the arclights. The farmer’s son, amongst nine children, left the pastoral landscape to find his moorings in the shifting sands of showbiz. After doing the controversial Black Friday in 2004, he finally hit success in 2012 with Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur (Part 2) and Talaash. More recently, he made inroads in the commercial domain with Kick. How does he manage to surprise each time? “I begin with a blank slate. I try my best to play each character differently. Every character needs a detailed inner journey.
I have played 120 roles on stage. I draw from that experience.” He insists that the director’s role is paramount. “Director Sriram Raghavan narrated the story of Badlapur in a single sentence saying it was about a good man who turns bad and vice versa. This was enough for me to say yes to the role.” Nawaz is all praise for the young Varun Dhawan. “Varun is a talented boy. He has so much energy. We belong to distinct areas of cinema. That’s why we shared an interesting equation on screen. In fact, David Dhawan saab had offered me a role in Main Tera Hero, but I couldn’t do it because of a date problem. Since then, Varun has wanted to act with me.”
In Kick (on top), with Varun Dhawan in Badlapur (bottom)
Success brings about a change in dynamics. Earlier Nawazuddin longed to work with top actors. Now they are eager to have him in their projects. The intense actor will soon be seen in Rahul Dholakia’s Raees with Shah Rukh Khan and in Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan with Salman Khan. He’s also been roped in for Sujoy Ghosh’s Bollywood adaptation of The Devotion of Suspect X along with Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan. He may be rubbing shoulders with the starry brigade but he insists his lifestyle still remains simple. “I don’t believe in changing my attitude. Is that going to improve my acting? Why complicate things? As it is, my roles are complex and I need to invest energy in them. If I have to deal with the same in real life, I will lose focus. I can’t take that risk. My priority is my performance.
I need few things to stay happy. I am happy in simple clothes. I don’t want to take on the burden of luxury.” He confides rejection made him stronger. “Being a good actor doesn’t guarantee work. Though I don’t believe in luck, there is a time for everything. Success is not in your hands. You must continue working hard and honestly. If my director appreciates it, I am happy.” Interestingly, Nawaz has watched more English films than Hindi ones. “In Budhana, only C grade Hindi films or Dada Kondke’s films were screened. It was only in the late ’90s, when I joined theatre in Delhi that I got to watch English films. Peter O’Toole, Lawrence Olivier and Paul Newman are my favourite actors. Their photographs are lined up on my office walls. I have also enjoyed William Shakespeare’s plays like Hamlet, Othello and others. I haven’t watched much of Hindi cinema though. I want to watch Guru Dutt’s films.”
Back in his village, his fellowmen are proud of him. No one expected a thin, short, dark guy to make it in the movies. “I hate this kind of discrimination, this mindset. Especially, in the Hindi film industry. I am dark, but I am no ghulam (slave). Even today, we have not overcome this slave mentality. After the success of Kick, I visited my hometown. My people were so proud of me. It was a dream come true.”
Recently, Twitter was abuzz with ‘poor man’ jokes on Nawaz. “I had mentioned in an interview that I come from a poor family and that I had worked as a watchman. Initially, I was offered ‘poor men’ roles. Today, that’s not the case. Once Napoleon Bonaparte (French military leader) was told by a palmist that he did not have the line of education on his palm. He instantly cut a line with a knife on his palm and asked, ‘What now?’ I am like that too. When people underestimate me, I take it as a challenge.”
Nawaz admits that his personal life has taken a backseat. “I am away on outdoors for months. My wife Anjali used to complain earlier. But she now understands. I may not be a good husband but I am a good father. I spend a lot of time with my five-year-old daughter Shora. She’s aware that her dad is an actor.” Nawaz would love to do a commercial film like Karan Johar’s but with one condition. “The hero should have complexity. I can’t play simple characters. I even look forward to dancing in the film,” he smiles.
Success and controversy go together and Nawazuddin has been embroiled in quite a few – the infamous altercation with Rishi Kapoor and an alleged tension with The Lunchbox co-star Irrfan Khan being a few. “This is the nature of the entertainment industry. Controversies will occur. I’ll deal with them. Irrfan is my senior and I respect him. After work, I head home. I don’t gossip.
I don’t know where these rumours come from,” he shrugs. He has no time to dwell on negativity. “This is the best phase of my life. I am getting a chance to perform good roles. What more can an actor ask for? I don’t have to worry about tomorrow.”