I like characters who get lost in the crowd: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Hindustan Times

30-04-2025

New Delhi, Like most actors, his aim is to disappear into his character. And unlike most movie stars, Nawazuddin Siddiqui would like to get lost in a crowd in real life too – the equivalent maybe of Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.
"It's very difficult for me to make myself presentable and stand out. But I feel very good that I am sitting in a corner and no one is looking at me... rather, I'm observing others,' Siddiqui told PTI in an interview
"I feel the world is a 70mm film and I'm watching it," added the actor who became a star playing everyday people, be it in small roles such as in "Munnabhai MBBS" and "Peepli Live" or performances in acclaimed titles, including "The Lunchbox", "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Maanjhi".
Siddiqui's journey from Budhana in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi's National School of Drama and then to Mumbai from where he emerged as one of the Hindi film industry's most versatile stars after a long struggle is the stuff dreams are made of.
The aspiring actor went straight from watching C-grade films to world cinema.
Growing up in Budhana, he said there were no literary or cultural influences but there was a 'kachcha theatre' that would mostly show C-grade movies.
"I have grown up watching those movies and when I came to the city, I went to the National School of Drama and I was introduced to world cinema there so I missed a lot of Bollywood movies in between, which I saw later."
The 50-year-old said he still considers each character a fresh challenge, the latest being his portrayal of former customs officer Costao Fernandes in a new film on ZEE5.
In fact, if he had to have one of his characters as a travel companion, it would be that of a regular Mumbai tourist photographer from director Ritesh Batra's "Photograph".
"It's the kind of person who does not have a status and has nothing special about him. Even if he passes in front of you, you won't pay attention to him. I like such characters who get lost in the crowd," he said.
Isn't it the antithesis of what actors want to stand out and be noticed?
"I don't want it. My aim is to not stand out even in real life. There are a lot of my friends, my seniors, like Manoj Bhai , who often says that 'if you make Nawaz stand in the crowd, you won't even know where he is, he merges with the crowd'. So, I have that, and I like it," he said.
Siddiqui has often played characters on both sides of the moral and political divide "Manto" and "Thackeray", the former a biopic on writer Saadat Hasan Manto, the latter on Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray; a serial killer in 'Raman Raghav 2.0' and a cop in "Raees".
He said he has carefully tried to stay away from an established image and, in fact, has trust issues with people who have the image of a person without any faults.
"I don't want to be fixed in a certain kind of image. I have played many such characters where I have been criticised like 'Raman Raghav 2.0'. When I did 'Manto', certain people didn't like it and then there were some who didn't like 'Thackeray'.
'I have stayed around people who are both good and bad. We all are greyish and the characters which are close to real people are more fun to do. I honestly fear people who have the image of being a good guy. If somebody had such an image, I fear they are hiding something."
Siddiqui said there is nothing more beautiful for an artist than crisscrossing between roles and personas.
"If I keep repeating myself, I will get bored. As an actor, you should be prepared for an exam every day. When I opt for a new film, there's a new role, it feels like there is a big exam that I have to pass. Thank god, my directors have options that they think they can cast Nawaz in different roles."
He has been a part of many biopics but playing a real-life person is still challenging, he said.
The actor said he agreed to be part of "Costao" because it does not present the customs officer, who fought against gold smuggling in Goa, like a hero and without faults. He also identified with Costao's obsessive dedication to his job.
"It's challenging because you have to look like them and yet you shouldn't copy them. I have mostly done roles of unsung heroes of our country. I stayed around Costao and observed him before the film. When his friends saw the movie, they said there is no difference between Costao and me. What could be a bigger compliment than this?"
Siddiqui's other biopic is in Ketan Mehta's 2015 film "Manjhi: The Mountain Man" where he plays Dashrath Manjhi, the man who single-handedly carved a road in a mountain.
For many, he embodies success in Bollywood. But he said he finds the term strange.
"If someone gets a Lambretta scooter, then he might think it's a success. My profession is always about discovering, inventing yourself and that's a process. If I execute a scene properly, that's success for me on that day. I don't even know what success is. That, for every person, is very individual.
Maybe success means getting to do the kind of roles he always desired?
"I don't think I have been able to do what I want because your demands increase after every experience..."
Siddiqui said it is not always easy to understand the vision of his directors and successfully execute it on the screen. His directors, be it frequent collaborator Anurag Kashyap or Honey Trehan, keep throwing challenges at him.
"Whichever director I work with, he wants to work with me again. That is because I am a very obedient actor, and secondly my focus is always to understand whatever is on their mind and execute it."
"Costao" releases on May 1. After that, Siddiqui has a busy schedule with "Raat Akeli Hai 2", "Section 108", "Faraar" and "Thama", which is part of Dinesh Vijan's "Stree" horror-comedy universe.
After "McMafia" and "Sacred Games", the actor is returning to long format storytelling with the Indian adaptation of popular American show "House".