Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Don't think there is any need for censorship in our industry

With 'Babumoshai Bandookbaz', Nawazuddin Siddiqui is gearing up for his fifth release of the year. Having played a range of roles from a cop to a teacher in love with his student and an eccentric private eye,

Nawaz

is now all set to essay a role similar to the one that got him first noticed in the film industry – a likable gangster. He talks about his preference for grey characters, '

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

'’s stand-off with the censor board, and how he has tried to be ‘UP ka

James Bond

’ in the film.

You have said in the past you wanted to romance heroines on the screen too. In 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' you did get that opportunity.Yes, I did. In fact kuch zyada hi romance ho gaya on screen (laughs). Itna zyada that the censor board asked for 48 cuts in the movie. But fortunately, we went to the tribunal and from there, the film was cleared with 5-6 minor cuts, which were all voluntary. So, in essence, it is the same film that we had originally planned to release, without any massive cuts. But yes, I have wanted to do all kinds of roles and things of screen and romancing a heroine is also something I wanted to do. In fact, I would love a role where romance is the main emotion.

Do you mean you would want to play the traditional romantic hero?No, I can’t be a hero, any kind of hero. I prefer characters with grey shades because they are closer to real human beings. Like for instance, you. There must be several good things in you and a few bad ones too. It’s the same with my characters. I don’t believe in a character that is either completely negative or an out-and-out hero. A hero is ‘sarv-gun sampanna’ with no burai in him. But that sort of a person can never exist. I have never seen such a person, which is why a purely negative or positive role never interests me. I am happy with my grey characters.

You talk about the 48 cuts that the CBFC ordered in this film, and you went to the tribunal after that because you felt the cuts harmed the film. Do you believe that censorship can hurt the creative process?There should be no attack on creativity. Jis tarah se aapke dimaag mein idea aata hai, a movie should be made like that. In fact, I don't feel there is no need for censorship in our industry. Kya zaroorat hai film kaatne ki? Audience won't watch it if they think it's offensive or not for them.

You play a true-blue UP character for the first time. The state has seen a surge in the number of stories being set here. What makes it so alluring for filmmakers?UP has a lot of amazing stories. We grew up on them but for others, they seem astonishing and make for good cinema. For instance, this film originated because of one such story. We haven’t shown the incident here but our director had read a story that one man killed because of a fight over two bananas. What is the price of two bananas? Par itni se baat par wahan to khel khatm ho jaata hai.

According to Nawaz, his inpiration for the attitude of his character in 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' was Pierce Brosnan's James Bond (BCCL)

You are from the western part of the state but here you are playing a character from East UP. The dialects and the cultures are worlds apart so was it tough to change all that?Yes, people don’t get that. These two parts of UP are very different. Sabko lagta hai ek hi culture aur zubaan hai UP mein. In West UP, our bol-chaal and accent has a touch of Harayanvi to it. It’s more rustic than the eastern UP lingo. But, I have had friends from that part of the state so I drew inspiration from them and from other people I have met from that region over the years. Aur phir theatre toh kiya hi hai.

But there were reports that you have modeled your character on James Bond. How does the combination of Bond and the UP hinterland work?I have always been a James Bond fan. Since my childhood, I have been influenced by Bond films a lot. Any actor who was Bond at that time was who I wanted to be like. I was crazy about Pierce Brosnan when he played Bond. In fact, when I do an action role where I need an attitude, I take inspiration from Bond films and cowboy films of the West. And I have used that in this film too. The way Brosnan’s Bond walked, his swagger, his attitude and the way he interacted with women. Toh yahan koshish ki UP ka James Bond banne ki.

You shot the last schedule of the film in

Budhana

, your hometown. You had said you were looking forward to that. How was it shooting there?The kind of warmth I get there, I don't get anywhere else in the world. I feel very grounded when I go back home. So, it felt good to take my work there. Sabke saamne shoot karne me acha laga. I wanted to show everyone what I do and the work that goes behind the scene of a movie. Woh sab karne ka mauka mila.