There are many side actors who have struggled a lot in the film industry to survive and those who survived seldom have gone beyond the clutches of getting typecasted and proving their mettle. Most of such actors never got their due and get lost in the oblivion. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui fondly called as Nawaz bhai by his fans is from a different league. Coming from a remote location in UP and starting off with small roles since his debut in Sarfarosh he was part of many good films like Shool, Munnabhai MBBS, Ek Challis ki last local, Manorama Six Feet Under, even Dev D till he became one of the most reliable and sought after actor in Bollywood. His life story is interesting and admiring enough that demands a full-fledged feature film. Going by the trend of biopics may be it will happen someday.
Last heard from his own interview with Faridoon that he is getting a pay package equivalent to that of big stars. And no one is complaining.
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to one of the most versatile actor of Indian cinema. An unpredictable yet trustworthy actor who till date did justice to every character he played. His screen presence is magical and elevates his persona to another level.
Here’s a look into 10 characters which will be edged forever in my memory.
Aamir Khan gave him his first big break in the satirical drama Peepli [Live] as the righteous journalist Rakesh who desperately wanted to show the plight of the farmers. His acting prowess coupled with the fate of the character makes it a memorable one.
His first claim to fame came in 2012 with multiple releases that began with Kahaani (ignoring his tiny role in Paan Singh Tomar). As a strong headed confident police officer Mr Khan he forced people and critics to notice his performance and he showed his no-nonsense attitude to lazy cops of Kolkata.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3btWVG0C2o
Faizal Khan While giving him a small part in the acclaimed Black Friday, Kashyap promised him a lead role and stuck to his words as he gifted the world with Nawaz. This character was a game changer for him as he was lapped up by everyone as the lungi-clad Bihari underworld don who terrorized the coal mafia kingpins of Wasseypur,Bihar. “Dada ka, baba ka sabka badla lega tera Faizal” – this dialogue had become an iconic one and his character a benchmark for gangster films thereon.
The iconic scene follows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEgv2TfBLnY
The raw cunningness of limping Tehmur is one of the central character in the mystery will surely force you to invest on the happenings of Aamir Khan Starrer thriller “Talaash”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-KzTcPVsPk
We often praise actors saying that his/her expressions are awesome but Nawazuddin is one such actor who can express through his whole body and for that you need to watch this dark indie film “Miss Lovely” that got highly acclaimed at various international film festival including Cannes. Probably many would debate on this but this one film made me comparing him with Klaus Kinski who is termed as one of the finest actors in history of cinema.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoY2lZaKtfE
The evil laughter and untimely violent aggression of Liak still rings bell in my ear making the motive of vengeance even stronger. Though this Sriram Raghavan thriller was on futility of revenge but one can’t but hate Liak – that was the impact of Nawazuddin.
From evil role to a diehard romantic who wanted to avenge the untimely death of his beloved wife by raging a war against a mountain Nawaz bhai was the pillar of shoddily written “Manjhi- The Mountain man”. Based on a real-life character Nawaz’s angst was visible as he embarked on a deadly mission to break a mountain to create a pass-way. Watch him play this difficult role and his ability to keep you glued into frames with single character and no dialogues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ffpyi7XMc8
Can there be anyone who can’t fall in love with the lovable yet goofy Pakistani freelance journalist Chand Nawab who was aiding Bajrangi Bhaijaan in the search of little Munni’s house? This film showed that he can steal the scene even in lighter roles and can stand stall even beside big star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kD5TQrf2ZU
He was there in 3 scenes and still made his character memorable in New York. Watch this 2 mins which will surely melt anyone’s heart.
This exemplary film which made the directorial debut of Indian scientist Bedabrata Pain had two of the actors in the same frame – Manoj Bajpayee & apna Nawaz bhai. Playing the famous Indian freedom fighters Masterda Surya Sen and Nirmal Sen respectively this film boasts of some superb performances.
Nawaz Version 2.0
Can’t end this article without mentioning about the upcoming film “Raman Raghav 2.0” which might just become another landmark film for Nawazzuddin Siddqiui.
The trailer of this Anurag Kashyap film gave us a glimpse of the performance that awaiting us. Just two days before it got screened in Cannes and some critic out their compared his psycho act with legendary Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins. Now that explains all as India waits to see him playing the psychotic serial killer Raman Raghav. The film is getting an all India release this June 24th. We can only hope of our honorable shri shri censor board not playing a spoil sport.
And of course, there’s Raaes with Sharukh Khan which will come in early 2017. We sincerely hope to see him winning awards from all over the globe….
