He is as realistic about his shortcomings as he is confident about his talent. While any non-dancer would have thought twice before matching steps with Tiger Shroff on screen, he saw it as an opportunity to conquer his fear and insecurity. That's Nawazuddin Siddiqui for you - a man who refuses to conform to norms, to give up on his dreams. In an exclusive chat with BT before the release of his next, Munna Michael, he opens up about why he doesn't want to be the flag-bearer of any particular kind of cinema, nepotism in the industry, and why superstars are necessary in Bollywood. Excerpts...

While you are one of the finest actors we have today, dancing is clearly not your forte. So, were you apprehensive about shaking a leg with Tiger Shroff? Also, do you think it's important for an actor to be a good dancer?
I was apprehensive about matching steps with Tiger. He excels at dancing and I'm not even one per cent of that, but I gave this film a shot because it was a golden opportunity to fight my insecurities. I wanted to conquer my fear of dancing. Fortunately, I don't have a 'hero' tag, so I can experiment. Having said that, an actor needs to know everything in today's day and age. Also, I don't wish to be the flag-bearer for a particular category of cinema, ki main artistic films se judaa hoon, main so-called realistic films hi karunga aur mera commercial films se koi naata nahin hai.

Is that the reason you are doing more commercial and less parallel cinema?
Not exactly. Today, fraud films are being made in the name of realistic cinema. Some of them are so boring that their directors wouldn't watch them again! I am very particular about the fact that even realistic films should appeal to everyone. The same applies to commercial cinema as well - picture wohi achchi hoti hai jismein har class ke aadmi ko engage karne ki quality hoti hai.

As someone with a strong theatre background, does being part of commercial cinema make you some kind of a rebel?
No. You see, theatre actors have no issues with commercial films as they have dabbled in all forms of acting. I agree that in Mumbai, there are some theatre actors who say that they will support only certain type of cinema. Actually, it is all about leaning on an ideology when you don't get work. Mujhe sirf do category ki films samajh mein aati hai; ek acchi aur ek buri, whether it is realistic, artistic or commercial, just like it is in the West. I just look at my role and my takeaway as an artiste.

Do you mean to say that a film's box-office performance does not affect you?
The day I start worrying about box office, it will affect my instinct as an actor. I have never thought about it before, so why now? So many bad films make big money, while some great ones do not. An actor's job is to act and leave the business aspect to the producer.

You have worked with superstars and also star kids. Is there a marked difference in their attitude and approach to work?
Not just star kids, even our superstars have changed a lot. Earlier, superstars would take stardom very seriously, but today's stars are humble. The star kids are also approachable and they understand cinema well. They are more realistic both in terms of their personality and approach.

What is your take on the nepotism in the industry? One cannot deny the fact that star kids have an advantage when it comes to getting opportunities...
As an actor, I have struggled in the industry. So, if my child wants to become an actor tomorrow, it's only natural that I will help him. But that doesn't mean ki woh mehnat na kare. Tiger is Jackie Shroff 's son alright, but we can't overlook the hard work he puts in. It would have been his biggest mistake if he had thought, 'Main toh Jackie Shroff ka beta hoon, mujhe aaram se kaam mil jaayega.' It is easy for star kids to get opportunities because of their parents' goodwill, but that applies to every profession.

A lot of films with superstars have failed recently. Do you agree that the audience has started to look beyond stars?
Yes, the audience can't be fooled anymore. However, I believe that superstars are necessary. Their massive fan-following helps movies run and it's with that money that we manage to make more films. Hollywood has taken over Europe because there are no superstars left there. So, until the time there are stars and superstars, our cinema will flourish. The day they are extinct, Hollywood films will grab our market.

Talking about fan following, a lot of women find you hot...
(Laughs!) What can I say about that? I am happy, but also shocked. There was a time when people told me, 'Bhai kyu jaa raha hai filmo mein? Shakal surat toh dekh le apni.' And then, my mother would say, 'Mard ki khoobsurti uske kaam se hoti hai.' Today, if someone calls me hot, I know that it is because of my work and I take it seriously .

'IT'S NOT JUST BOLLYWOOD THAT'S OBSESSED WITH GOOD LOOKS': NAWAZUDDIN
Nawazuddin Siddiqui's tweet on Monday evening made many curious. His post read, “Thank U 4 making me realise dat I cannot b paired along wid d fair & handsome bcz I m dark & not good looking, but I never focus on that (sic).“ It turned out that the actor was reacting to the comments reportedly made by Sanjay Chouhan, the casting director of his upcoming film, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz. Sanjay had allegedly commented that all the actors in the movie were taken on board keeping Nawaz in mind and they 'could not have cast fair and handsome people with Nawaz'. However, Chouhan later said that his comment was misconstrued. “All I said was the film needed actors as good as Nawazuddin. You need actors who could match his stature. I don't know from where the 'fair and handsome' bit came, but I never said the words,“ he said.

While promoting Munna Michael, Nawaz spoke to us about how racism is not an issue limited to Bollywood. “I tweeted what I felt was right. It's not that the entire industry is like that. I got to know through news reports ki kisi ne bola Nawaz ke saamne hum log kisi fair and handsome ko cast nahi kar sakte. It means that the person said so because I am dark and not good-looking. I don't focus on these things as it's not just Bollywood that's obsessed with good looks, sabse zyada biased toh hamari audience hai. Log pehle se hi mind prepare karke chalte hain ki hero toh aisa hi hota hai. The statement reflects a very dangerous thought process and that is why I reacted. It is certain people's perception that I am dark and not good-looking. Main wahi aadmi hu jo desh se bahar jaake good-looking ho jata hoon, ya good-looking logon se milta hoon toh good-looking ho jata hoon.“

Divya Kaushik