Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 19, 2016)

In the last five years, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has come a long way. From lamenting about having no suit to wear for his Cannes debut in 2012 to being labelled as India’s answer to Anthony Hopkins at the French Riviera this year.

After the premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0 at the festival on Monday, Nawaz, who essays the titular role, was lauded for his stellar performance as the Mumbai serial killer of the ’ 60s. International critics and film lovers were so impressed

years, has From suit in as Anthony Riviera by his gory performance that they made no bones in drawing parallels between the actor with the Hannibal (2001) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) legend.

A critic for The Hollywood Reporter said:  Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal need not move over, but he would certainly enjoy the nuanced performance of this rising Indian actor, who has demonstrated his extraordinary range in roles.” Says Nawaz, “Being compared to a living legend like Sir Anthony Hopkins feels truly surreal. I had to pinch myself hard. After being heaped with the accolades, I can’t stop thanking people for appreciating all the hard work that has gone into making this film.”