For Paritosh Painter, convincing Nawazuddin Siddiqui to return to the stage after decades came with immense pressure. The writer-director recalls walking into their first meeting knowing he had just one chance to impress the acclaimed actor. Nawazuddin stars in Painter’s play Naqaab, which also marks the acting debut of his daughter, Shora. The team is currently on an international tour, staging the play for audiences across the world.

Paritosh recalls, “When I was meeting him, I knew I had only one chance. If he said no, it was over. He has done every kind of role as an actor, so the challenge was to bring something interesting and challenging to the table. I’m happy he liked what we narrated. He also contributed ideas, and we developed the play together. The challenge was how to excite a man who has done every kind of role, but he loved the script.”

Paritosh says one of Nawazuddin’s biggest requests was to preserve the authenticity of theatre. “Nawaz bhai wanted the feel of theatre. He didn’t want LED screens as the backdrop. He wanted an actual set.”

That commitment extended to every aspect of the production. Nawazuddin has five to six costume changes during the play, with brief pauses built into the performance to allow him time to change backstage.

“We gave him a short break so he has time to go backstage, change and come back. I keep asking him, ‘Do you need more time?’ He says, ‘No! I want to do it quickly and come back.’ He loves challenges. They give him a great high,” shares Paritosh.

Speaking about directing Shora, he says, “When we did the first reading, Shora was quite raw. She studied in an American school and later in London, so her command over English was good, but her Hindi was weak, and this is a full-fledged Hindi play. She put in a lot of effort and used to sit with my assistants to improve.”

Nawazuddin was equally invested in helping his daughter settle into the production. Paritosh says, “Nawaz bhai didn’t need to spend much time in rehearsals. After about 10 readings, he was ready. But he still put in the effort so Shora could catch up. He has done around 90 run-throughs of the play.”