Nawaz plays a cop-turned-priest in 'TE3N'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, known for his intense roles, will be seen as a cop-turned-priest, Father Martin in his next, TE3N, a film set in Kolkata. The thriller also features Amitabh Bachchan as a grandpa, John Biswas, in the quest for justice for the granddaughter he lost. Vidya Balan is Sarita Sarkar, the police officer who swings into action when an identical crime is repeated eight years later.

Speaking about Nawaz's role, director Ribhu Dasgupta told Mirror, "You've never seen Nawaz so restrained and calm but dripping sarcasm. A reason associated to his past compels him to enter the church. The cop and the priest are like two different characters played by the same actor."

He admits he wrote the script with Nawaz in mind but was terrified that the actor might turn him down. "I wouldn't have known what to do then because I can't see anyone else in the role," says Ribhu, who met a lot of Anglo-Indians in Kolkata and had converted to Christianity.

"Father Martin, in an effort to redeem himself, turns to God. We have kept the character very real and have been careful not to hurt anyone's sentiments."