Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his character in Raman Raghav 2.0: 'I’ve never even raised my hand on someone...'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui stands tall as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, renowned for his extraordinary versatility and the profound depth he brings to every role. With his unparalleled craft, he has earned a distinctive place in the industry, often evoking comparisons to the legendary late Irrfan Khan. One amongst many was Ramanna from Raman Raghav 2.0 a serial killer. While he shooked everyone with his incredible performance, the actor was seen opening about different nuances of the character.

When asked about his role in Raman Raghav 2.0, on how does he feel about his character and how there are very less people who can do it with such finesse. He said, “When I got that role, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. It wasn’t the kind of role you could just show up and perform casually. It demanded serious mental and emotional preparation. To get into that mindset, I isolated myself. I stayed in a resort in Lonavala for 5–6 days. Just to believe one line from the script: ‘I eat, drink, sleep, and kill. It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t even feel pain. You kill with the justification of humanity or religion—I kill just because.’ That was extremely hard for me to believe in. Because I’m not that person. I’ve never even raised my hand on someone, never scolded anyone. And here I had to become a man who kills without remorse. I knew I couldn’t fake it—I had to believe it, even if just for those scenes. Only after that internal shift happened, I return to Mumbai to shoot. I stepped on set fully convinced, at least for those moments, that I could do it. It was one of the most difficult roles I’ve ever taken on.”

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He further elaborated how and why actors get too much into the character as they are truly serious about their character. He said, “And see, when an actor is truly serious about their craft—when they’re vulnerable and committed—that intensity reflects on screen. People sometimes ask, ‘Why do actors go so deep?’ But that depth, that seriousness, is what breathes life into a performance. This role was so psychologically complex that it affected me physically too. At one point, I fell seriously ill during filming. I was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital, completely unconscious. Later, I was told that even in that state, I kept repeating Raman Raghav’s dialogues. I don’t remember any of it—but that’s how deep it had gone. After 8–10 days, I recovered and returned to finish the film. But that experience… it never really left me.”

Apart from this, On the work front, Nawazuddin will be seen in Raat Akeli Hai 2 and Thama.