Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; January 21, 2018)

Towards the end of next month, Nawazuddin Siddiqui will take a 45-day break from his shoots to prep for Thackeray, the much-anticipated biopic on the late Shiv Sena supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray. The film was announced at the end of 2017 and is expected to hit cinemas on the Republic Day weekend in 2019.

When BT met the actor recently, he told us that he wants to pick up the nuances of the character, learn Marathi and also understand Balasaheb’s psyche, to fit into the role. “I could request for time from the makers of the film because they were confident that if I ask for time to prep, I will come back with something that they and I will be proud of. The producers wanted to start and wrap up the film really fast, but I asked for time because of the magnitude of the character that I am expected to play. If I can master even one aspect of Balasaheb Thackeray’s personality in these 45 days, it will be an achievement. I want to go off phone, internet... in fact, everything that can distract me. Even otherwise, I keep distractions away so that I can focus on my work,” he says.

The film’s makers had recently released a minute-long video, showing glimpses of what the biopic could possibly entail. And, what was widely talked about was Nawaz’s striking similarity with the subject he plays. Though he attributes credit to his make-up artiste, the actor says that there’s more to it. He explains, “It’s the make-up artiste’s job to make me look like the character I play. Technology is so advanced, makeup artistes these days can make anyone look like anyone. But then, what’s my contribution to the film? I don’t believe in just getting my look right, it’s also about feeling and understanding the psyche of the character. I will work hard to enter the mind of the man, who was one of the best cartoonists in the country and later became a popular public leader. I want to understand what triggered his transformation from Bal Keshav Thackeray to Balasaheb Thackeray. I want to understand what’s it about the Marathi Manoos and their problems that made him drop the paint brush and pick up the tool of public leadership. I want to slip into his thoughts.”

It’s one thing to feel a character and another to play it, especially if there are ample reference points for the audience to draw comparisons. While there’s always a fear of not matching up to the personality, the possibility of going overboard also cannot be ruled out. “I don’t want to mimic Balasaheb Thackeray, but I also don’t want people to compare my work to his videos and say that I sound different and I don’t have his deep voice. I have to get as close to his voice as possible without going overboard; it will be a tightrope walk for me. I will also meet Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah) for this film. He’s the best actor I know and I want to seek his help in becoming the character without tilting on either side,” says the actor.

While he is aware of the enormous responsibility of portraying Balasaheb authentically, Nawaz says that he is full of admiration for the late leader. “To me, Balasaheb Thackeray was one leader who was not hypocritical. Unki yehi ada unhein logon ke dilon mein basati hai. He presented himself to the people as he was, there were no pretensions. I have never met him, but I will soon visit Matoshree (his residence) and meet his family members for deeper conversations about him. I want to know him well enough before I get down to playing him,” he sums up.