Nawazuddin Siddiqui the dark horse who finally conquered Bollywood

It took 15 years to carve a niche for himself in Bollywood. Nawazuddin Siddiqui talks about his latest film Manjhi – The Mountain Man, which he says is his favourite – and toughest – so far.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Dashrath Manjhi and Radhika Apte as his wife in Manjhi - The Mountain Man. Courtesy Viacom18 Motion Pictures

For Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, success and critical acclaim did not come overnight. He slogged for 15 years, appearing in smaller roles and cameos in Hindi films before his role as a Central Bureau of Investigation officer in the 2012 hit Kahaani changed his life.

Since then, the 41-year-old National Award-winning actor has delivered a string of memorable performances in films including The Lunchbox, Talaash, Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur and ­Bajrangi Bhaijan.

His latest film, Manjhi – The Mountain Man, is based on the true story of Dashrath Manjhi, a poor labourer who spent more than 20 years cutting a path through a mountain with a hammer and chisel as a tribute to his wife, who died after an accident because it took too long for medical help to arrive.

You began to get a lot more offers of films after Kahaani – how did you handle that?

Yes, Kahaani won me a lot of popularity, but for some time I was mostly being offered similar roles, which I was wary of taking up. There were two reasons for that. One, I didn't find any challenge in performing the same kind of roles – had I accepted them, I would have only created a comfort zone for myself, which would have killed my creativity. Secondly, I didn't want to get typecast as a character actor and wanted to move on to lead roles. It was only after I played the male lead in Gangs of Wasseypur that the film industry started offering me meaty roles.

How do you decide which roles to take?

I choose roles based on the challenge they offer. There are times when I read or hear a script and a fear hits me – will I be able to live this character? – and my mind tells me that I am incapable of doing this. That is when I know I have to pick that role. This is what happened in the case of Manjhi. Playing out the madness in Dashrath Manjhi's character on screen appeared to be the most difficult thing to do. That is what convinced me to take it up.

What research do you do for your roles?

It depends. Sometimes, like in the case of Manjhi, which is a true story, there are references available on the web. So, I obtained all inputs from director Ketan Mehta and trawled the web for references. Then I went to Manjhi's village to interact with his family and acquaintances. That gave me a lot of information about the kind of person he was, the way he spoke and thought. It also helped me gain insight into what people thought about him. All this helped me build the character in the film. For the role of Chand Nawab in Bajrangi Bhaijan, which is loosely based on the Pakistani journalist of the same name, I saw his YouTube video, which had gone viral. Beyond that, I just imagined how he could be as a person and created the character. Director Kabir Khan's brief to me was to create a fictional world around Chand Nawab.

How do you prepare yourself for portraying these ­characters?

I clear my mind of all ­residual traces of my previous role. Once I finish work on a film, I try to distance myself from the ­character I had become. For this, I usually take a short break to get it out of my system. In the case of Manjhi, I took off to a small village in Rajasthan, stayed there for about 45 days and forgot that I was an actor. It took me a ­really long time to get the film out of my system, but I had to make the effort to ­prepare ­myself for my next role.

Which has been your favourite role so far?

For me, my favourite role is the one that troubles me the most. Manjhi was my most difficult and challenging role, and therefore, my favourite.

Did you find any similarities between yourself and Dashrath Manjhi?

Yes, I have been as passionate about my acting career as ­Manjhi was about his love. Had it not been for my obsession to make it in the film industry, I may not have stuck it out in Mumbai for 15 years before getting adequate recognition.

What was your experience of working with Salman Khan in Kick and Bajrangi Bhaijan?

It was fun. We used to have long chats when we were not shooting. I think Salman is a very caring person and a very secure actor.

What films are working on now?

I just finished Raees, in which I play a cop and Shah Rukh Khan plays a gangster. Working with him reiterated my faith in the megastar's humbleness. I'm also working on Ghoomketu, a comedy, which is due out next year. This will be the first such comic role of my career.

• Manjhi – The Mountain Man is available to view on Etisalat's eLife on-demand section.