Anurag Kashyap Asked Nawazuddin Siddiqui ‘Bewakuf Hai Kya Tu?' For Acting Like Al Pacino

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui tried channeling Al Pacino for Gangs of Wasseypur until Anurag Kashyap advised him to be natural.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's iconic performance as Faisal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur has stood the test of time, but few know the actor was initially influenced by Hollywood legends while stepping into the role. In a recent interview, he shared that on the first day of shooting, he had actually tried to act like Al Pacino—until director Anurag Kashyap stepped in and changed the course of his performance.
In a chat with Filmfare, Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalled, 'I went on the first day acting like Al Pacino. I had thought about emulating him beforehand. Thoda bhoot chaaya hua tha. I used to have phases – Robert De Niro for three months, Al Pacino for three months, and Brando. He said, 'Bewakoof hai kya tu? Don't do that, you will become stiff and stuck at one place.'"
He continued by sharing how Kashyap noticed something off about his performance and approached him after the day's shoot. 'I did the scenes Al Pacino style on the first day of shoot. Anurag came to my room at night and asked what am I upto. He said you are being very stiff, Al Pacino type. I told him that I wanted to show my power," he said.
But it was Kashyap's grounded advice that really stuck with him. 'Anurag said that woh mera kaam hai, main tere peeche 6 foot ke log khade kardunga, apne aap powerful lagega (That's my work, I will put tall men behind you, you will look powerful). Don't do anything, be normal. I couldn't sleep the whole night. I felt that he was right."
Taking the director's words to heart, Siddiqui approached the character with a more natural mindset the following day. 'The very next day, I went and forgot everything. Bhaad mein jaaye, main Nawaz hu, main jaisa dikhta hu vaisa hi jaakar karunga."
The transformation clearly worked. Gangs of Wasseypur, directed by Anurag Kashyap, became both a box-office hit and a critical success. Nawazuddin's portrayal of Faisal Khan became one of the most memorable characters in Indian cinema. The ensemble cast included standout performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadha, Pankaj Tripathi, and Jaideep Ahlawat, helping cement the film's cult status.
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