EXCLUSIVE: Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals the kind of characters that still excite him after years of unconventional roles: “I like characters that are absurd and strange” : Bollywood News

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about the kind of roles that continue to excite him as an actor and what he still looks for in a character after years of acclaimed and unconventional performances.

EXCLUSIVE: Nawazuddin Siddiqui reveals the kind of characters that still excite him after years of unconventional roles: “I like characters that are absurd and strange”Known for portraying some of the most memorable characters in Indian cinema, Nawazuddin said he was particularly drawn to roles that carried a sense of unpredictability. “Personally, I like characters that are absurd or slightly strange,” he shared. “Those kinds of characters excite me more.”

The actor explained that he preferred roles that were not straightforward or easily readable. According to him, a character should not feel overly designed or mechanical. “A character shouldn’t be simple or predictable. It shouldn’t feel like, ‘Okay, now this is him, so he will do this.’ I like it when there are twists in the personality,” he said.

Nawazuddin also spoke about the importance of authenticity while playing grounded roles. He noted that when a character was meant to be realistic — such as a police officer — it needed to look and behave like one. “If it’s a cop, it should look like a cop. The body language, the way of speaking — everything should feel real,” he explained, adding that even within such realism, he looked for layers that made the character unusual or unexpected.

In Raat Akeli Hai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the role of a cop, a character rooted in realism yet shaped by psychological complexity. The film allowed him to explore subtle twists within a seemingly familiar role, something he finds essential to staying creatively engaged.

Emphasising his approach to character selection, Nawazuddin said he gravitated towards parts that resisted easy interpretation. “I like absurd elements in any character. Something that doesn’t appear obvious or flat,” he said, clarifying that even restrained characters needed an inner unpredictability to hold his interest.

For Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the excitement lay not in ticking boxes or repeating past successes, but in discovering characters that challenged expectations — both his own and the audience’s. As long as a role offered that element of surprise, he said, it continued to feel worth exploring on screen.

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