Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was recently in a candid mood during an interview about the regular comparisons between himself and the late Irrfan Khan, stating he wasn’t really comfortable with these similarities. According to him, even though he highly respects Irrfan, he only wants to work his own niche in Bollywood.
When asked about the comparison with Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui said, “Mein aapne jaise kaam karne ko aya hu, mein kissi ke jaisa kaam karne ko nahi aya hu. Of course, woh great actor hein, lekin mujhe apni pehchan banani hai.” (I have come to work like myself, I have not come to work like anyone else. Of course, he was a great actor, but I need to make my own identity.)
On this relationship with Irrfan, Nawazuddin said that the association was a two-decade-long one and Irrfan always treated him as a younger brother and mentor. He said, “I was very close to Irrfan bhai, so I used to be with him, or around him a lot. He was also my first-ever co-star, and an actor whom I worked the most with.”
He said that Nawazuddin had learned much more valuable things from Irrfan and recalled a shooting incident when Irrfan himself was directing a BBC film called “Alvida“. According to him, Irrfan once said to him to not be that obvious while doing a thing in the scene.
Despite all these comparisons, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is still working towards his craft by delivering diverse and layered performances. This, according to him, is what makes acting, that is the very philosophy he vouches for until now.
While citing the comparisons with Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui states that it is extremely important to realize and respect the fact that every artist has his own journey and his contribution to cinema. He continues on his path, which he is destined to make distinct in the film world.
