Unlike many actors who choose not to watch their movies, Nawazuddin Siddiqui makes it a point to not just watch but also scrutinise every single project he works on. This practice, he believes, is crucial for an actor to consistently refine their craft.

“I feel every artiste should watch their work to know the mistakes they have made and to learn from and rectify them. I never indulge while watching my own films. Instead, I get extremely critical of my performance. I end up finding more mistakes than I would while shooting for the film,” he tells us on the sidelines of the recently concluded 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where his film Rautu Ki Beli was screened.

While critical acclaim has always come his way, Siddiqui’s last few films, including Afwaah, Jogira Sara Ra Ra, Tiku Weds Sheru and Haddi, failed to get the desired response commercially. But, he prefers to not fret over the business aspect of his projects as that isn’t in his “control”.

The 49-year-old elaborates, “An actor should not stress about a film’s fate once it has gone to the theatres and audiences. What I can guarantee is that when I’m working on a project, I will give it my blood and sweat. Main apni jaan laga dunga. But the moment my work as an actor is over and the film goes into someone else’s hands, I can’t give any guarantees. It’s not in my hands to ensure how the film is being marketed and distributed. For all that, you need [a different] expertise.”

This is perhaps why Siddiqui doesn’t let the fear of box-office failure get in the way of his relentless pursuit of creative fulfilment. “Roles ke saath experiment karna meri aadat bann gayi hai. And that’s something I will keep doing without fear of anyone or anything. If I don’t get diverse roles to play on screen, I will feel as if I’m doing a mundane job. So, no matter what it takes, this (showing his range as an actor) is one thing I will never compromise on,” he concludes.