In his career spanning over two decades, critically acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has not only played many diverse roles -- The Lunchbox, Raman Raghav 2.0, or in the International Emmy’s nominated Sacred Games, or biographical drama Manto -- the actor also aced being an antagonist in films like Kick, Badlapur, or as don Faizal Khan in Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic Gangs Of Wasseypur that gave him wider recognition.
Siddiqui will be next seen playing the villainous role of Laila, a don waging cyberwar in upcoming Heropanti 2. Directed by Ahmed Khan, the film, headlined by Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria, is slated to release on 29 April. While many of his fans wonder why Siddiqui picks up hardcore masala entertainers which are a kind of departure from his brand of 'thought-provoking' movies, the NSD (National School of Drama) alumnus says his theatre background helps him in experimenting with genres and forms and hence he picks up both, “artistic” as well as commercial films.
“I have been getting reactions to why I am doing these kinds of commercial films but if you like me as an actor then you should also appreciate if I am experimenting because every film has a different genre and form. Heropanti 2 has a different form and I find it interesting when I play different characters. When I was doing theatre we used to do different kinds of plays, some were satirical comedy, some larger-than-life performances like in Parsi theatre. Heropanti, for me, feels like the Parsi style of theatre... loud, over-the-top (laughs). Then when we were doing Russian plays we did a lot of realistic acting, Shakespeare plays were more dialogue-oriented, we did Moliere, Kalidas…and each play had a different form.
I feel commercial film is a form, it is a presentation of a character, presentation of your performance and you get space and skills to add on in these kinds of films.
And as it is I like coming out of my comfort zone and constantly challenging myself,” he says, adding, “If some people are saying why I am doing these commercial films then they can watch my No Land’s Man which is an artistic film. For every Heropanti 2, I have a No Land's Man …”
On his prep for Heropanti 2
What further excited Siddiqui about his role in Heropanti sequel is the feminine side to his ruthless and cruel character. “I got excited when Ahmed (Khan, Director) narrated the film. When the look was finalised we incorporated the character’s style, habits, mannerisms and we gave a little feminine touch to it, and my character Laila is also a magician and ruthless. We added a lot of traits to the character spontaneously. But I made sure that I didn't cross the line in any scene. I was careful that it doesn’t get exaggerated because there are chances in such characters that you may go overboard. We have kept it subtle. So, I exercised some control while executing my part. I re-checked myself in every scene. I always found it fascinating to play a villain with a distinct style and personality. I had this in mind even when I was doing theatre that if ever I get to play a villain I will give that little feminine feel to it. Though I surrendered to my director, sometimes I would do things on my own while doing the scenes,” says the actor who was the only choice to play the part. “It feels great when I am chosen for roles like this in a commercial film, or even if I am picked to play Manto or Thackeray, or even a normal character like in Photograph. They are looking at me with completely different personalities, which is wonderful,” he says.
On breaking stereotypes with his roles
While many actors fear getting stereotyped or boxed in a certain category, Siddiqui is one of those rare actors who not only broke all stereotypes of a Bollywood hero but he has often managed to break his image with almost every film. “Actually we can break the image from film to film because we actors don’t have any tag,” he says, furthering, “The time when I was playing Ganesh Gaitonde (Sacred Games) immediately before that I played a cop. Then I was doing Manto at the same time I was playing Thackeray and both these people are totally different from each other, their thinking is so different. That is the fun of being an actor that you can break your image with every film,” says the National award-winning actor, who sounds disappointed with the current craze for South films.
“I believe in progressing, mentally as well as creatively and I want to watch different movies. The problem here is when just a couple of films become a hit, narratives change. We get impressed too soon. People start writing the same kind of scripts and dialogues. This probably is just a phase but people start comparing and forming judgement which is such a pathetic outlook. Let’s wait, there are many films coming up here. The day a Hindi film becomes a hit we will immediately start thinking in a different way. It is not that we have stopped making films here, let’s wait for our films,” he says.
Siddiqui, who was seen in Tamil film Petta with Rajinikanth in 2019, says, he too gets a lot of offers from South, “But I am not saying ‘yes’ to any of those. I am not going in that direction. When South films come here, I can’t bear to watch dubbed versions. If you are speaking in English, Tamil or Malayalam, or any other language, I will like that but I can’t watch the dubbed version because in such films I will not be able to judge the performance properly. I enjoy acting whether it is a larger-than-life or any film but if it is somebody else’s voice I don’t like. After doing Petta, I was feeling guilty because I was saying my dialogues on prompting which I didn’t understand. The film became a super-duper hit and when I got my fee I had that guilt in me. I felt I wasn’t truthful, I have spoken lies and that was the feeling. When we perform we give our blood, sweat trying to find truth in the character but when I am taking prompts in Tamil there was nothing going on in my mind and soul. My attention was only on prompting. Maybe others don’t feel that guilt but I did feel,” he says.
On his equation with Tiger Shroff
Siddiqui is collaborating with Shroff for the second time after their 2017 release Munna Michael and he is all praises for his co-star. “Tiger is so perfect with his dance and action scenes. He works really hard. We have a smooth bonding. Without saying much we understand each other. We have faith in each other which really works and that chemistry can be seen on screen,” says the actor, hoping the film will be a big draw among children. “Children will enjoy it, I guess mainly because Tiger is very popular among kids. Then I am seen performing magic which can also attract them,” says the actor, who chooses not to talk about his forthcoming films except for No Land’s Man which is close to his heart but struggling to find buyers.
On his next No Land’s Man
Directed by celebrated Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the film focuses on fascism and identity crisis through the eyes of a south-Asian man, played by Siddiqui. Nawaz co-produces the film, which also has music maestro AR Rahman on board as both producer and composer. “It is an artistic film but fast-paced and we are really struggling to sell it. The film has got a lot of awards; it has gone to many prestigious international festivals in France, Busan…and has got a lot of appreciation. I hope somebody buys it and releases it whether on OTT or theatres,” he says.
However, this doesn’t discourage the actor from doing middle-of-the-road cinema. “When a good, credible, thoughtful film is not watched by the audience, you want to do other kinds of cinema but I will keep doing my kind of films and strike a balance. Commercial films open a new world for me. But more than visibility the big films give to my smaller projects, it is about how I will play the part in a commercial film and that fascinates me more, the process fascinates me,” he concludes.
Seema Sinha is a Mumbai-based mainstream entertainment journalist who has been covering Bollywood and television industry for over two decades. Her forte is candid tell-all interviews, news reporting and newsbreaks, investigative journalism and more. She believes in dismissing what is gossipy, casual, frivolous and fluff.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Insta
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/fIlUPt6
0 Comments