Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s now-iconic role as Faisal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur didn’t start out as the natural, gripping performance we remember. As the actor recently recalled in a chat with Filmfare, he entered the first day of filming trying to channel the legendary Al Pacino. But it took one honest conversation with director Anurag Kashyap to steer him away from imitation and toward authenticity.
“I went on the first day acting like Al Pacino. I had thought about emulating him beforehand. Thoda bhoot chaaya hua tha,” Nawaz shared. He candidly admitted going through phases where he would mimic acting legends like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Marlon Brando for months. But that approach didn’t land well with his director.
“Bewakuf hai kya tu?”: Kashyap's Brutal Honesty
According to Nawaz, Anurag Kashyap visited him that night after the shoot to express his concern. “He said, ‘Bewakuf hai kya tu? Don’t do that, you will become stiff and stuck at one place.’” The actor revealed he had tried to showcase power in his scenes, but the result came off as unnatural.
“Anurag came to my room at night and asked what am I upto. He said you are being very stiff, Al Pacino type. I told him that I wanted to show my power,” Nawaz recalled. Kashyap’s response was both practical and eye-opening: “Vo mera kaam hai, main tere peeche 6 foot ke log khade kardunga, apne aap powerful lagega. Don’t do anything, be normal.”
Shaken yet enlightened, Nawazuddin admitted he couldn’t sleep that night. But by the next morning, something had shifted. “The very next day, I went and forgot everything. Bhaad mein jaaye, main Nawaz hu, main jaisa dikhta hu vaisa hi jaakar karunga.” That decision became a turning point—not just for the film, but for Nawazuddin’s career.
About Gangs of Wasseypur
Released in 2012, Gangs of Wasseypur went on to become a critical and commercial success. Nawaz’s portrayal of the brooding, vengeful Faisal Khan became a cultural phenomenon. The film also featured standout performances by Manoj Bajpayee, Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadha, Pankaj Tripathi, and Jaideep Ahlawat.
Thanks to Kashyap’s timely advice and Nawazuddin’s decision to trust his own instincts, a performance that might have leaned on imitation turned into one of Bollywood’s most memorable characters.