EXCLUSIVE: Nawazuddin Siddiqui Reveals A Russian Director Helped Him Discover His Acting Range Was More Than Just Comedy; Shares, “It Made Me Realise My Own Potential”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a well known Bollywood actor known for iconic antagonist roles such as Faizal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur, Ganesh Gaitonde in Sacred Game, Ramanna in Raman Raghav 2.0, Yakshasan in Thamma and more. While the actor is today known across the globe for acting range – including plating villainous roles, did you know he was once typecast as a comedian?

In an exclusive quote shared with Bollywood Bubble, Nawazuddin recalled almost always playing comic roles before discovering his range and experimenting. Scroll to read what he said.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui On How A Russian Director Helped Him Discover His Potential

Talking about when he realised he was more than just a comic actor, Nawazudding Siddiqui shared, “When I was studying at the National School of Drama, I mostly performed in comedy plays, and people began to typecast me as a comedian. That perception changed when I did a play with Russian director Valentine Teplyakov. He visited our campus and staged Evano by Anton Chekhov.”

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Elaborating, Nawazuddin said, “I played a very different character in that production, one that required an intense performance. It was the first time I had attempted such a role. The performance made people realise that I could portray intense characters as well. It also made me realise my own potential to explore different kinds of roles, because until then, I had only done comedy. I had performed in 50–60 plays, and every single one of them had me in a comic role, albeit with different styles of humour, ranging from subtle comedy to slapstick.”

Nawazuddin’s Career

Nawazuddin Siddiqui – who made his Bollywood debut by playing a small role in Aamir Khan’s Sarfarosh in 1999, honed his craft at the National School of Drama. After playing side roles for over a decade, the actor bagged his first lead role in the 2012 Prashant Bhargava-directed Patang. He has since gained international recognition for his work in projects such as Black Friday, the Gangs of Wasseypur franchise, Raman Raghav 2.0. The Lunchbox, Sacred Games, Manto, Mom, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and more.

The actor has several films in the pipeline, including Section 108, Noorani Chehra and Tumbad 2. He will also star in Sangeen and The Great Escape Faraar.

In a career that started before the turn of the century, Nawazuddin has received several awards, including a Special Jury Award at National Film Award in 2012.

For more news and updates from the entertainment world, stay tuned to Bollywood Bubble.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Nawazuddin Siddiqui Calls His Bombay Talkies Character His Favourite Role To Date; Reveals Why He Finds It Relatable

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.