Salman Khan has a child-like innocence: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Having worked with the Khan trio " he worked with Aamir in Talaash and is acting alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Raees " Nawaz says he is attracted to their humble attitude. "The way they have sustained their position in the industry for the last 25 years is worth learning and imbibing," he adds. Salman, he says has "a child-like innocence" which he has retained till now, Shah Rukh "is humble" while Aamir "never okays a take till it is perfect".
There were reports that Nawaz doesn't want to play a villain any more, to which the actor points out that there are no out-and-out villains in films anymore. "Today, even villains have some positive traits while a hero has grey shades," he reasons. Even the roles that he is looking out for are those that take him out of his comfort zone. "I don't want to play a positive hero or an out-and-out negative chatacter. I want to play characters that have a few grey shades, are human, and close to reality," he elaborates.

In fact, his next release Mountain Man after Bajrangi Bhaijaan has him playing a real character " it's a biopic based on Dashrath Manjhi. Also, called as the mountain man, Dashrath carved a road on a hill using only a hammer and chisel so that his village could have easier access to a hospital. This was after his wife died because of lack of medical care in 1959. For Nawaz this was the toughest role to play, physically and mentally. "It took me one-and-a-half month to come out of the character after wrapping up the shoot," he says. The film was shot on top of a hill with Nawaz using a real hammer and chisel to dig a path. "It's an extraordinary story of an ordinary man. It was difficult getting into the mindset of a man who was breaking a mountain for 22 years in memory of his wife. For me, this is the greatest love story. Shah Jahan who had all the money and resources at his disposal took 22 years to build Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz and this man who had nothing was digging a mountain on his own. Whose love story is deeper and stronger?" he muses.

While Dashrath patiently and determinedly dug a road, Nawaz too has persevered in his career, despite initial setbacks. Though the actor has been around for over a decade it was only with films like Gangs Of Wasseypur and Kahaani that he came to the limelight. Not surprisingly, of all the characters he has played so far, it's the one he essayed in Bombay Talkies that is closest to his heart. "I played a guy who fails in everything. My initial 10-12 years in the industry were the same," he says humbly.