Nawazuddin Siddiqui sounds relieved when we speak to him and the actor agrees: “Main bilkul relaxed hoon.” Besides the success of his latest release, Haddi, he also saw his legal battle with ex-wife Aaliya reach an amicable stage recently. Aren’t personal battles mentally draining? “Definitely hote hain. Maine iss cheez (split from Aaliya) ke baare mein baat ki hi nahin, aur naa hi karna chahta hoon,” he replies.

It’s difficult to not let one’s troubled personal life affect their work. Ask if he faced a similar situation and the 49-year-old says, “Nahin, it [issues in personal life] didn’t affect my career. Aaj kal log samajhdaar hain, unhe pata hota hai kya chal raha hai [apki life mein]. People still respect me the same way as an actor. In fact, I have become more focused as an artiste.”

Meanwhile, Siddiqui is currently filming for his next film, Section 108, which, he says, “will have a theatrical release”. While Haddi saw him play the role of a transgender and it fetched him good reviews, the actor shares how playing the part wasn’t easy. “It was a difficult character because of the complexity. Character pe kaam karna padh raha tha taaki aisa naa lage ki transgender ka character hai, toh bas costume pehen li aur ho gaya,” he ends.