Nawaz’s act compared to that of Mastroianni and Anthony Hopkins

Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s performance in his upcoming film was recently compared to that of the Italian legend Marcello Mastroianni by an international publication. Earlier, his nuanced act in Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) was compared to that of Hollywood actor Heath Ledger. Nawaz feels grateful that his body of work is acknowledged by people from different industries and is recognised beyond India. “I was compared to [Hollywood actor] Anthony

When I was in drama school, I’d seen a lot of Mastroianni’s films. Never expected that my performance would be compared to his. NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI ACTOR

Hopkins and Heath Ledger for my performance in Raman Raghav 2.0. Now it’s being compared to Marcello Mastorianni’s [work]. In fact, he is one of my favourites. When I was in the National School of Drama, I’d seen a lot of films. But I never expected that my performance would be compared to his. Of course, it makes you feel good and inspires you to do even better when your work is spoken of in the same breath as these legendary actors. You know that you’re on the right track,” says Nawaz. His latest film was in the running for an award at the Cannes film fest, which ended yesterday.

Talking about what sets those eminent names apart, the actor says that it’s the honesty and ease in their performances. “A lot of actors can deliver heavy dialogues and probably make them sound convincing. However, very few can make scenes look effortless. That’s the sign of a true performer,” says the Badlapur (2015) actor.

It’s important to watch other actors’ work, he adds, to understand the craft. “It’s not that you take anything from their performance, but it opens your mind in many ways. When I saw The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), I was blown away by Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance. I used to feel he was an average actor, but then he was beyond imagination in the film,” says Nawaz, who turned a year older yesterday but spent the entire day shooting for his next film. “I don’t celebrate birthdays, as I don’t believe in it,” he says.