Shilpi Sampad (MID-DAY; May 18, 2017)

Men want to be him and women want to be with him, goes a saying about the iconic spy character, James Bond. No surprises then that reel action heroes often turn to him for inspiration — like Nawazuddin Siddiqui did for his next, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz.

Set to play a suave sharpshooter in the action-drama, the actor binged on Bond movies to pick up his mannerisms. “When Kushan [Nandy, director] narrated the script to Nawaz, he felt his character was close to James Bond. Since he is a fan of the womanising, gambling-loving spy, he was kicked about adding a touch of suavity to his desi character,” says a unit hand.

In the poster of the film, Nawaz, clad in a ganjee and lungi, is seen carrying a water can in one hand, a transistor on his shoulder and a gun tucked in his lungi. How did he think of adding an element of sophistication a la Bond to such a rustic character? Says Nawaz, “In terms of the clothes and styling, my part doesn’t have anything in common with him. Yet, I wanted to make it cool. I have tried imitating his gait, the way he holds his gun and scans an area from the corner of his eye. I felt referencing him would work for my character."