‘I enjoy playing roles that have an attitude’

His last film, Mom, featuring Sridevi, is still running in theatres, but Nawazuddin Siddiqui is already gearing up for the release of his next film, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz. In the movie, the 43-year-old actor will essay the role of a contract killer with “rules”. Nawazuddin says, “He never kills anyone without being paid. He is very professional that way. You might be his biggest enemy, but he won’t kill you if he isn’t getting paid for it,” says the actor. The film’s trailer will be released today. Nawazuddin says the story and characters in the film have “a lot of attitude”. “My character is stylish and quite inspired by James Bond, as he shoots and kills like him. He is besharam (shameless) about everything in life, and has a cool sense of humour. I enjoy playing roles that have some tashan (attitude), as when I was [working] in theatre, I was quite amazed and impressed by stylish actors like Al Pacino or even Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in many films. Somewhere, you imbibe these

My character is stylish and quite inspired by James Bond, as he shoots and kills like him

qualities and use them as an actor,” he says. The actor also feels viewers “might be reminded” of Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) after watching Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, but he says that this film is at a level “higher than that one.” Nawazuddin has been part of many ensembles in his career, but he says playing a solo lead in a film is a “big responsibility.” “A solo film is quite important in an actor’s career, and I will be focusing on release of the film. I’ll be trying to get as wide a reach as possible. This film has a lot of masala and isn’t an art or an off-beat film,” he says.

NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI, ACTOR