Acting in Town Hall, star gazing in Maldevta: What makes Doon so special for Nawazuddin Siddiqui?

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is not new to Dehradun. His connect with Uttarakhand dates back some 25 years ago when he was a student at Guru Kangri Vishwavidyalaya in Haridwar. And his visits to Doon became more frequent after his younger brother relocated to the city for his higher studies.
READ: ​Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Interesting facts
Nawaz fondly recalls the days spent at Robber's Cave and Sahastradhara. On a recent visit to the city, the actor spoke to us about performing in Town Hall and his 'star' moment in Doon after becoming an actor.
The stage of Town Hall and the encouraging audience instilled confidence in me
Town Hall in Dehradun which has seen many big actors perform has not been devoid of Nawaz Bhai's theatre performances in early 1990s.When Nawaz was struggling to make his both ends meet through theatre, he has some cherished memories of Town Hall.
Nawazuddin says, "It was in 1994 that I, as a part of NSD had done a students' play 'Holi' and we received a fabulous response. The Town Hall stage had instilled in me a new confidence and the response that I got from the audience of Dehradun is simply unforgettable."
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I love my simple life, but star treatment is inevitable
He might have become a superstar with movies with all the Khans in Bollywood but the simplicity cannot be taken away from his demeanour.
Nawazuddin says, "Jab bhi main Dehradun aata hun, mere liye bade hotels book kiye jate hain par main apne family ke saath hi rehna pasand karta hun." "I have grown big from the ashes and that is the reason, I have no inhibitions in leading a simple life. I visit Dehradun at least twice a year and I prefer spending the days with my family."
Recounting some old days spent in Doon, Nawaz says, "There was a blind man in front of MKP main gate who would play the flute throughout the day. When I was still struggling, I remember whenever I would pass from that area, I would stop over for 10-15 minutes and would listen to him playing the flute. Even amidst so much hustle-bustle, the serenity and the passion with which that person would play simply mesmerized me. "Main unse bansuri bhi kharidta tha Rs15 mein." Whenever I looked at him, he would inspire me as nothing would stop that person's passion towards playing the flute. Even now, whenever I visit Doon, I try to stop over by that person who is very old now and just listen to his flute playing peacefully. "Woh mujhe nahi dekh pata par main unke chehre ki har muskaan ko mehsus kar pata hun."
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It is a fact that initially, after doing many films, Nawaz did not get any recognition as an actor; however, after Gangs of Wasseypur released, Nawaz came to be noticed by the people. He shares one funny incident that happened soon after the release of Gangs of Wasseypur.
Nawaz says, "Success jab nahi mila tha, tab dusri tension thi. Par jab success mila, tab bhi aafat aa gayi!" Soon after the release of Gangs of Wasseypur, I had come to Dehradun for a mini-break. Me, my brothers and the entire family went to Gaylord's at Paltan to enjoy ice-cream at night. We were having a nice time, suddenly we saw that gradually the crowd started increasing. The youngsters who were present there started texting their friends to come over to Paltan as an actor is there. "Phir kuch der baad toh bheedh peeche padh gaye. Jaise taise, hum wahan se bhaage aur Garhi Cantt tak pahuche. Phir hum sabne apna ice-cream Garhi Cantt mein jaake khatam kiya!" (laughs)
I would often go to Maldevta for moments of peace
Staring at the moon amidst the Doon mountains and talking with family members are some of the things that Nawaz Bhai still does when he comes to town.
Nawazuddin says, "Even till few years back when I would stay in Doon for long time, we all would just go to Maldevta, draw bedsheets on the grass and sit down there for hours and hours, gazing at the night stars and talking about small joys of life." So, does he still get time to visit Maldevta, Nawaz says, "Bilkul. Mujhe wahan jaake bahut sukoon milti hain aur phir se main apne aap ko dhund paata hu."
Amitabh's words have made my career worth it
Recently, in an interview early this year, Amitabh Bachhan had said that he wants to work with Nawazuddin Sidiqqui, on asking Nawaz that how did it feel and whether any such project is being worked out, Nawaz says, "When I heard that Big B wants to work with me, I was ecstatic and I thanked god that 12 years of my struggle in Bollywood gave me this moment. I am fortunate enough that a legendary actor like Big B acknowledged my work and showed interest in working with me. As far as any future movie with Amitabh ji, it is still in the talking process so I will not be able to divulge any details."
Happy with not playing the hero
All the struggling actors who enter the B town crave to get a hero's role in any movie but Nawazuddin says, "I do not like playing any such character in a movie which does not have layers in them. The definition of ‘hero’ is also changing with times. Gone are those days when just fighting against the villains or romancing the heroines would define a hero. With changing times, characters of movies are also getting redefined. I never aimed for hero’s role as I do not like it."
"My dream role is Mughle-e-Azam’s Dilip Kumar"
Nawazuddin says, "The attitude with which Dilip Kumar carries out his role in Mughle-e-Azam, that is my dream role. There was a certain level of poise and power in that role and Dilip Kumar did full justice to it. Usually, I believe that every actor brings out uniqueness in any film that he does". "Agar sab Khans aur Kapoors ko follow karne lag gaye toh movies stagnant padh jayegi."
On asking what Nawaz’s uniqueness is, he smiles and says, "Through each movie and every character that I get to play, I understand myself better. "Main apne aap ko khojta hun mere har character ke saath." I am still in the process of discovering myself."
“I would love to romance all heroines!”
On asking whether Nawaz has any particular favourite heroine, he replies, "Nahi. Main toh har ek heroine ke saath acting karna chahta hu! I do not have any one favourite in my mind. Iss maamle mein, main thoda greedy hu!"
Hollywood calling?
Nawazuddin is working on a Hollywood movie starring Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel. The movie’s name is Lion. However, Nawazuddin is in no mood to act in Hollywood movies. He says, "The movies that I am doing in my country are of the equal standard as Hollywood". "Aisa nahi ki jo movies bahar banti hain, who zyada achhi hain. Bollywood mein jo movies abhi ban rahi hai, who bhi bahut achhi hain."
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