Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 20, 2018)

Having wrapped up the shoot of Sacred Games, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is staring at what could be one of his most challenging characters — Balasaheb Thackeray. Ahead of the biopic, Thackeray, going on floors on April 15, the actor has been training in Marathi dialect with diction coach Ashish Pathode (right).

Pathode reveals that the biggest challenge for Siddiqui is to emulate the Shiv Sena founder’s deep baritone. “Our focus is on the tonal quality and dialect. Nawaz sir has a nasal voice whereas Balasaheb had a deep, throaty voice.”

Besides picking up Marathi, he is familiarising himself with Pu La Deshpande’s works, a favourite of Thackeray. “We are trying to get the Marathi dialect right. The major work is in the pronunciation department — Hindi is a soft language while Marathi is harder. We are exploring the softer side of him as a family man. The voice requires modulation in those areas. Nawaz has to be natural.”

His training for the biopic is not restricted to the language alone — Siddiqui is referring to Thackeray’s speeches to grasp his nuances. “He was a feisty speaker with ample hand movements. We’re replicating that as well.”