Interview with Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Nawazuddin Siddiqui remains one of the most versatile actors we have today. Accredited with more than 70 films throughout his career, the 50-year-old actor has been promoting his new movie on Zee5 Global, “Rautu Ka Raaz.” We were fortunate to catch up with him for an exclusive interview. Playing the lead role of Inspector Negi, a grizzled cop, the film places him in the heart of a moody murder mystery unfolding in the quaint village of Rautu, Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand. In an exclusive interview with HighonFilms, Nawaz opened up about his experience shooting a rather unconventional mystery-thriller, how it deviated from his other works that may seem similar, and mainly his approach behind crafting his deeply enigmatic character. Read the full interview below:

Be warned: some of the details about the film’s narrative are disclosed below.

Aryan: Hello, Nawaz. First of all, congratulations on your new film, “Rautu Ka Raaz,” which is now streaming on Zee 5 Global. Thank you for joining us at HighonFilms today; it is a real pleasure for us. Second, this is the kind of film and character that demands good questions. So, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to ask you some questions.

Nawaz: Of course, that’s why I’m here. Go ahead!

Aryan: You play a police officer in “Rautu Ka Raaz,” a role you’ve played before in your career. Could you tell me how this character here differentiates from other grey and misfit characters you’ve played in films like “Raat Akeli hai”?

Nawaz: The only thing that remained the same was the dress and costume. Everything else was different. His parents were different, his background was different, his city was different, and so was his soul and mind.

Aryan: Since we’re talking about your character here, I have another question. We get introduced to your character, Inspector Negi, as we watch him wake up to handle the case. How do you build up such a character since the case he gets assigned to also brings out a personal awakening in him?

Nawaz: Of course, since he was going through a trauma, and also because there had never been a crime of this sort in the town the story is set in, no one really was used to tackling a case of this magnitude. My character was coming from the same upbringing, and since he’s a cop, he approaches the case. But as things go on, he takes along his trauma while investigating the case.

When he eventually finds out who’s behind the murder, he comes to terms with his trauma, about which he feels glad. The most beautiful thing about the film is at the same time, he realizes that the one who had raped also gets framed for the murder by saving the life of this rather talented kid in the promising hope of how his very talent would, in turn, go onto inspire other people going ahead. Whether it was legally the right thing to do or not is debatable.

Aryan: So it was more like a moral decision he makes upon his own consciousness?

Nawaz: It was, indeed, a moral decision since he thought the young boy would go on to do good things benefiting society. This is the beautiful aspect I liked most about “Rautu Ka Raaz,” which we don’t often see in other films, especially when it comes to the murder mystery genre, where most personalities and stories tend to be larger than life. “Rautu ka Raaz,” on the other hand, unravels in a more mundane parameter of the town where the investigation takes place. This is what I found nice compared to other films where I’ve played such roles as a cop.

Interview with Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Actor, ‘Rautu Ka Raaz’ (2024) on ZEE5 Global — A still from “Rautu Ka Raaz” (2024)

Aryan: I love Nawaz, how you’ve tapped into not just your character here but also the overall mood of the film. The mundane nature of the procedural seems to be in synchrony with the shadow of the clouds of Mussoorie. What was it like for you to get a good balance of the tonal mood of the film and to get in that rhythm?

Nawaz: That was very deliberate. We, in fact, had gone to the location 5-6 days before the shoot. We sat around the police station, hung around with the locals, and had our tea along with them to learn the slow-paced life of the town. That was the pace we slowly found ourselves in and observed. We became like locals there. Even if I had to play a cop, he’s eventually a guy from that background. That’s how we built his characterization around.

Aryan: That’s what we see in the film. What unfolds isn’t something normal we watch, denoted by the two men we keep cutting back to who sit over the bench and discuss the case. Also, your character here seems deeply complex. He’s also, in a way, an enigma. How do you recontextualize all that? Do you read the storyboard beforehand so it helps you build up the backstory?

Nawaz: Both things happen simultaneously. We go with the flow and also need to make backstories. As the audience, you get to watch the story from a midpoint. For us actors, though, the task starts way earlier. Right back to childhood, we have to imagine where the character comes from. From what his conditioning was to what dynamic he shared with his girlfriend, whom he was going to marry, and what friends and subjects he would’ve liked growing up. So, for an actor, the preparation starts way before the film does. The character’s journey begins way before the beginning, and that’s where we have to start, as we can only show part of his life in a 2-2.5 hour runtime. So, we have to prepare and contextualize all of that accordingly.

Aryan: So you referred to the runtime, Nawaz. You are that rare actor with a lot of experience in feature films and long-form storytelling through web series. So, what’s your experience with approaching the two forms? Do you have a preference? Do you find yourself more comfortable as an actor making a feature film or playing in a series such as “Sacred Games”?

Nawaz: See, if I were to be honest, there really isn’t much difference between these formats, whether it’s OTT or a theatrical release, with regard to the actor. When we’re in front of the camera, how you conceive the character and with what honesty you stand in front of the character or people is what matters. That is true, regardless of the format. No actor approaches a film or a project thinking this one’s for OTT or this one’s for the theater.

Aryan: So, is an actor’s job mainly about conviction?

Nawaz: That’s exactly right. It’s all about conviction. It’s about how you take the character. Your fight as an actor is more with yourself than with what’s in front of you.

Aryan: That’s great. On that note, thank you for joining us, Nawaz. It was really an honor. Congratulations again on your film, and good luck with future projects.