Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Through Manto, I am voicing opinions I wouldn’t be able to say otherwise

I am doing Manto, Thackeray and have done love stories as well. So, I am not just good at negative characters. I have done varied roles. Negative character term used to be prominent in 60s, 70s and till 90s. The change started happening from the 90s. Now, we have started to show goodness in negative characters and today, even a hero has a tinge of grey shade in him. In films, I strongly believe it is the hero who is the most typecast. These days each character is more close to how a human is. We do not have an Amrish Puri or Jeevan, that time has passed. We should get rid of this ‘villain’ or ‘negative role’ categories. Real-life people are flawed.

I play an engineer in Genius. Through the character, I have tried to explore another aspect within me. When it is categorised as a negative character, it hurts because this character for me is a human I have put my heart and soul to explore.

Q. Your films have always received critical appreciation be it in India or abroad. But you recently said that the actual recognition you received was with Netflix series Sacred Games. Did you expect it?

It is very good that Sacred Games has gained popularity among the masses. I did not expect it to receive so much love. When I work, I am aiming to explore the character, the situation, and that is the most interesting aspect.

Q. What was difficult – To match the mentality of Manto or to get rid of the character post the film?

To be as honest as possible was the biggest challenge. The story is so relevant for today’s time.

Watch the trailer of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Manto:

Q. Manto is also about freedom of speech and expression. Has freedom of speech, within a film or otherwise, become difficult?

I have hardly been vocal about my thoughts on social media. When I did once or twice, I was abused and trolled. So, I have become thoughtless and don’t want to speak about anything.

Q. Are you scared to voice yourself?

Not scared. I am just working, and I feel I am expressing through my characters. There are a lot of things I have tried to say through Manto, which I would not have been able to say otherwise. My characters have become my expression.

Apart from the things that usually happen on it, social media has become a platform for hate too. I mean, movie releases and someone writes on my wall “I will give only 2 stars”. My question is who are you to rate the film?