Nawaz to miss Haramkhor’s LA screening

You’ve gone through some big upheavals in life. How have they changed your attitude towards love, life and marriage?

It has made me more private as a person. I used to wear my heart on my sleeve and be very candid about my love life, but that proved very painful when I went through my break-up. So, now I realise the importance of a private life and an inner life away from the media. For a very long time Bollywood cinema seemed unsure of where to slot you. Do you feel at home now?

I feel happy with the work I’ve done and lucky to have met the people I’ve worked with. I have a good relationship with all my co-actors and directors, but I do have a social life outside of Bollywood. What are the films you are looking forward to?

There’s Jia Aur Jia, a chick flick of sorts with Richa Chadda and Margarita With A Straw, which is a film about disability and love. Looking back at your body of work so far, which films would you say have been the turning points in your career?

I think Dev D was an iconic film to start my career with. Then my first commercial film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara really put me out there in Bollywood. As an actor though, I learnt most from Dibakar Banerjee’s film Shanghai. Bollywood tends to look at non-conventional women in a typical way. How and how far have you managed to break the rules of the male gaze in Bollywood?

I don’t know. Some people still tell me I don’t have the right look for certain films and keep trying to stereotype me into dark roles but it’s also changing with the comic role I did in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. I guess an actor’s biggest challenge comes from breaking their own moulds. Where do you see yourself a year from now?

I hope to work on scripts that surprise me, with directors that push my limits. I definitely want to direct a play by next year. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is most definitely having his busiest year till date. The actor is packed with shoots for two of his upcoming films till June.

Meanwhile, his film Haramkhor has been selected to open the upcoming LA Film Festival. While this is great news, it comes much after Nawaz’s dates were already blocked for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The premiere which is to take place on April 8 and the promo- tions, will not have Nawaz in attendance due to his prior commitments. This would be Nawaz’s tenth project making it to an international film festival.

Speaking on the same Nawaz said, “It’s very unfortunate that I’ll be missing the event. It’s an honour to be loved and be appreciated by so many people. But I send all my wishes to the people who will be at the festival repre

senting our film.”