Nawazuddin Siddqui shares his experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan in Kolkata, his love for cinema and moreIt was the second Sunday of the month and he managed to catch up on sleep after long. His schedule is crazy and there's hardly any time to explore the city, but even if there was, he said he would have loved to stay indoors. He has no fear of getting mobbed as he doesn't believe in having become a star, but Nawazuddin Siddiqui continues to be the 'different sort' as much in real as in reel.Peeping out of the window of his room looking over the Esplanade, he marvelled at the beauty of the city . ���There's a huge traffic though the roads are way broader than those in Mumbai. Whenever I have the time, I see what's happening down there (pointing at the Esplanade more). But Kolkata always looks pretty to my eyes," he told us, setting the ball rolling for an evening of adda.Excerpts:Actually , posters jaisa hota tha, fashion bhi waisi hi hoti thi. Back then, Bachchan saab would wear bell bottoms. There would be a lot of flair and zips on one side of the fall. Bahut saare filmon mein aisa tha... Deewar, Sholay, aur bhi kayee. We would often watch those films and come back and get clothes stitched as per This style. But we would exaggerate what he did. While we wanted to do way better than Bachchan saab, our sense of style wasn't that great. The trouser legs would be so flared that they would double up as brooms! Hum garbage saaf karte karte chala karte thay...While a lot of people were fans of Bachchan saab, there was a strong Dharmendra following too, since he hailed from the north. Aadhe fans thay Bachchan saab ke, baki thay Dharmendra ke. No one else existed. Only C-grade films would come to our village and I wouldn't miss a single one. Purana Mandir, Darwaza, Bindiya Mange Bandook ��� we would watch films that thrived on sex and horror. At times a commercial film would be screened, and we would lap it up. Beech beech mein Bachchan saab ke movies bhi dekh liya karte thay. We would consider ourselves lucky when his films would come to our village.I would shift camps. But yes, I was a Bachchan fan. Woh style, woh andaz... unki baat hi kuchh alag thi.We had worked together in Shoojit Sircar 's Shoebite, which didn't release. Before that, I had worked in a film, Family, that starred Bachchan saab. I was one of the hero's many friends in the film. There was a scene where around 12 people were standing around Bachchan saab ��� I was among them! Life has changed a lot since then...I am getting to learn new things from Bachchan saab every day. Despite his age, he is extremely youthful. He is always excited about what he is doing. Till a scene is complete, he is always there on the sets. We would get tired and think, 'Chalo abhi chairwair pe baith jao, paani-wani pee lo thoda, ek-aadh maar lo (looks at his self-rolled cigarette and smiles)'. He is like, 'Scene kar ke hi jaoonga. Scene khatam hoga to hi vanity van mein jaoonga'. There are several other things. He comes fully prepared. His passion is infectious and seeing him, I often ask myself how I will do when I reach his age! It's amazing to see the way he tries to prove himself film after film. All this after being the biggest star in the country! I think he is the first actor in the world to be like this. Koi bhi Hollywood ke actor ko le lo, 65 tak aate aate woh toh yehi sochenge ki bhai ho gaya kaam. Bachchan saab is like a child trying to prove himself. Woh jazba, who passion kahan se aata hai iss aadmi ke andar I don't know. He only concentrates on his work and never bothers about what is happening around him.I had noticed Ribhu's style of work during the making of Yudh for TV . It was shot like a film. I started taking interest in Ribhu since then. It was a mutual decision to work together if there was an interesting script. It happened soon and I'm here...Day before yesterday, we had a graveyard shoot.Instead of shooting at a real location, the graveyard was recreated on the sets. Bachchan saab was supposed to walk through the graveyard and he decided to take off his shoes even though it is not a must. Also, we were shooting at a makebelieve graveyard. He has great respect for religions.We also shot at a church.There are small things that make all the difference.I agree that Kahaani went a long way in making me popular as an actor. People noticed me in that film and asked, 'Kaun hai yeh actor?' Also, Sujoy (Ghosh) always casts me in special roles. He is well aware of what I am capable of. While there are many who know that I come from a village, Sujoy knows me inside out. He uses a lot of the real me in his films. The brief that he had given me in Kahaani was already what I was.(Laughs out loud) Nahin nahin waisa nahin. My attitude and body language were very similar to that of Inspector Khan. So, it was not at all a difficult role for me though I have mellowed down a lot. Sujoy knows my personal style and uses it in his films. Har insaan mein kuchh khasiyat hoti hai, Sujoy janta hai mujh mein exactly kya hai.I never feel this way . Since Peepli Live , I have been get ting a lot of attention. Then I came to Kolkata to shoot for Kahaani. After that, Buddhada's (Dasgupta) Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa happened and now, I am again back to do Te3n. So, I share an unspoken bond with the city. Also, I like the people here. Bengalis speak with a certain sensibility. I used to like the city from the time I was in National School of Drama (NSD). And here, I got every thing. About people going crazy, I don't feel anything special. That comes with the job. While in the city, I plan to meet Buddhada sometime.Though Anwar is yet to release because of some issues with the producer, it is a brilliant film.Shoojit was part of Act One, a popular theatre group in Delhi. He was my senior and would both act and work behind the scenes. Piyush Mishra, Shoojit and others had a group. I know him for many years now, while I met Sujoy in Mumbai before Kahaani. Their styles are completely different. Sujoy is very bindaas but while working, he becomes totally focused. Shoojit on the sets is what he is off it. Both of them bond very well.Never in my life did I think that I would need to promote a film or tell people, 'Dekho hamari film'. I always wanted to do my work and then hide somewhere. Right now, promotions are a must. Also, I am not much into social media. If someone asks me to tweet, then I do that. Else, my mantra continues to be: 'kaam karo aur dafa ho jao'.There are many offers that come my way . But I am and I want to be very rigid in this matter. I wish to do roles that challenge me, for which I will have to think and put in a great deal of effort. I want to be pushed out of my comfort zone.I am very proud of the film. It was made on a budget of Rs 4-5 crore and did good business, what else do you want! Also, it was declared tax-free in several places. Even if taxes were included, then too it would have made profit. All this despite the film getting leaked a week before its release. See, I don't want to do only meaningful films or those that have a message to convey . I want to do roles that put me in a difficult spot.I don't watch my films. I watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan only once during the preview.After doing a film, I don't like watching myself again in it.Also, I never get nostalgic about the past. Woh ek time tha, yeh ek time hai. I can never say something like, 'Arre wah, Gangs of Wasseypur mein maine kya kaam kiya!'. I watched that film just once. After that, I never got back to it.Aap ki picture lag jaati hai, poster lag jaati hai, toh log baatein karte hai... It feels good. This is a job where you get a lot of respect. I come from a small village and the respect that I now get is enough for a man like me. What else can I ask for? I had never thought I would come this far. No one believed in my dreams. People would often say, `Kahan ja rahe ho, dekh lo apne aap ko, tum toh hero dikhte bhi nahin ho kahin se'.After graduation, I started doing theatre. Before I came to Mumbai, many said, `Don't go. Wahan pe toh saare lambe, chaure, chitthe log chahiye, tum kyun waste kar rahe ho apna time?' I came here with out a dream as that was already nipped in the bud. I thought I would do small roles in theatre, serials... if I got paid for it, then I had noth ing more to ask for. I tried out serials but nothing happened.After that, I started getting small roles. I had no qualms doing them as I had no dream of becoming a star.There's a lot. I am enjoying the process of doing cinema. At times, the shots are very good, at times, they are bad. I love the little failures, the small feats of doing a role well. What's important is the journey, not the destination.