Nawazuddin Siddiqui: 'The day characters are especially written for me, my growth will stall'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of the three Indian nominations at the International Emmy Awards this year. He has been nominated in the Best Actor category for Sudhir Mishra’s critically acclaimed Netflix India film Serious Men. In an exclusive interview, he discusses his nominated performance from Serious Men, his fears as an actor, and his favourite performance of self.

Ayyan Mani’s character, much like many others you have played, is difficult to like. Yes, he is the protagonist but he is just as dislikeable for the extreme lengths he goes to. When you and Mishra discussed the character, what did you set as a limit that you did not want to stretch?

Firstly, I don’t really think about characters that way, or I should say I don’t really care if they are liked or disliked. Ayyan is a crude father, who almost tortures his son, pushes him to limits he might not want to go to. This can be viewed in many ways. For me it’s the culmination of the angst this man has carried for generations, his father’s angst, his grandfather’s angst. To me, the boundaries he chooses to push can’t be viewed simply as right or wrong, but have to be viewed with that historical lens.

You have been all praise about Mishra’s work, and you long held the desire to work with him. What was it like, finally, to have your wish fulfilled? And what makes him unique compared to all the great directors you have worked with?

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It was a long held dream, yes. I wanted to work with Sudhir sir for a long time. You could say it was my Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. As for the way he works, what I find unique is his view of the world. His awareness of ground realities, and the many struggles that play out on the country’s margins, that only he can understand. To be able to have a view of suffering, one needs to have suffered on his own as well. Sudhir sir has seen the life that he comes round to filming, which is why it feels natural. His thought process, despite his age, is still young and fresh.

You have made a habit of doing characters that are unheroic, even if they are part of the hero’s story. Be it Haraamkhor, Serious Men or Sacred Games , these characters are not redeemable in terms of morality – something the saviour, the hero gets to own easily. What is the most challenging and intriguing about playing such characters?

I simply don’t like the hero’s character, to be honest. Someone who has now flaws, and can only do and say the right thing, I find these characters incredibly boring.

I prefer roles where there is some depth, in the sense that there are inner conflicts and things that also give that particular role an inner life. Without thought, or the journey that thought has taken, you are left with something incredibly obvious and plain. To me, that type of character doesn’t have the soul actors want to unpeel.

There is this great scene at the end of Serious Men where Ayyan is told by Acharya that ‘his angst is justified but not his means.’ As the man who has embodied that character, do you defend the means or agree with Acharya, and maybe even the general worldview that people can do better?

I think firstly I shouldn’t judge Ayyan for his actions. Cinema is also about the many things we don’t show. We evaluate this character through his actions in the film, but there is so much that we haven’t shown that contributes to what he has become. The anger of generations, the oppression he has felt, the many things he has to suffer through on a daily basis. In a film, you can only show a certain part of his life. He is also the product of so many things that we need to imagine. I might disagree with his pressurising of his young son, the way he demands many things of him. But no one can deny the character his anger and disillusionment.

You have openly critiqued the existence of ‘formula’ films, cinema that is made with a cynical, predictive mindset. Today, you are such an acting phenomenon, you might be a formula to many directors as well. The fact that they are not looking for Nawazuddin Siddiqui in their characters, but looking in Nawazuddin Siddqui for their character. How do you deal with this?

This is a thing I fear a lot. I don’t want characters to be written specially for me. The day that starts happening, my growth will stall, I won’t be able to evolve. This is why I try and do diverse characters like Manto , Thackeray , a love story like Photograph or the old gangster type. I don’t want to get stuck in any one thing. A lot of the time, I do get asked about why I’ve done similar roles. For example, I play a cop in both _Raees_ and Raat Akeli Hai. The dress, the vardi might be the same, but the inner worlds of both cops are entirely different. Sometimes, it’s all about what you get to carry on the inside compared to what you get to or don’t get to wear on the outside.

The Serious Men role has led to international recognition with an International Emmy nomination. But surely, like any artist, you are attached to some roles more than others, even if they do not get much praise or love. Which ones are those?

Yes, there is one. I loved playing Manto. To me, it was my most committed performance. The film itself didn’t work well with the audience, but the complexity of the character and the amount of work I did on the film, to fully embody such a complex and iconic personality, makes that character special for me. For me, it was one of my biggest efforts. I put everything into it.

The International Emmy Awards ceremony will take place today on 22 November.

Manik Sharma writes on art and culture, cinema, books, and everything in between.