He’s tall, dark & talented

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H e may have recently scooped up a prestigious National Award, but when it comes to Aatma, his next solo release, Nawazuddin Siddique is still feeling a certain anxiety.

“The day I saw myself on the big screen, I knew I wasn’t the best looking guy in the industry. But I also knew that I was a lot better than many other actors. This isn’t over-confidence. It’s just the immense faith I have in myself,” said Nawaz.
Aatma sees him paired opposite Bipasha Basu and Nawaz tells us that it was a pleasure working with the Bengali actress: “Initially, even I was surprised when I got to know that Bipasha would star opposite me. I’d always look at her posters and nurse a secret crush. So, working with her was a dream come true!”
What was also a dream come true was going from a 10-minute part in Black Friday to playing leading man in Aatma, and Nawaz admits that the journey has had its share of obstacles. “Survival in this industry isn’t purely on the basis of talent,” Nawaas says. “Luck plays a huge role. When I did 10 minutes in Black Friday, Anurag Kayshap promised me that when he got the right script, he’d cast me as the hero in his film.”
Now of course, Nawaz wouldn’t do just about any two-bit role. “That’s my way of protecting my respect as an actor. I will only work with filmmakers who’ll give me a bound script and a detailed narration. I’m not interested in playing a prop in a film that has ‘big stars’ doing their number,” Nawaz asserts. His special appearance in Talaash, he adds, was purely for Aamir Khan.
Which brings us to the talk in B’town that Nawaz is emulating Aamir’s style of functioning. “What’s wrong with it?” Nawaz asks. “Aamir has become Aamir because of his dedication and conviction. He weighs all the pros and cons before committing to a project. And I want to follow the same strategy. If it works for me, I don’t see why I should be apologetic.”
While the quintessential hero is good-looking and well built, Nawaz says he’ll never pump iron just to look good — only if bulking up is the requirement of the character he’s portraying. “I don’t have to copy Salman Khan or Hrithik Roshan’s style,” he says. “I’m happy being Nawazuddin Siddiqui.”