For an actor who has spent over two decades redefining realism on screen, theatre has always been home. That’s where his story started. Now, after a 30-year gap, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is finally returning to the stage with Naqaab, directed by Paritosh Painter. This also marks a personal milestone — the acting debut of his 15-year-old daughter, Shora.

The play premiered in Chicago on July 17 and will do a nine-city US tour. Nawaz opens up about why films had begun leaving him creatively unfulfilled, why theatre continues to be an actor’s greatest school, and the reason he wanted Shora to make her acting debut on stage, instead of the screen.

Speaking about returning to theatre, Nawaz says, “When I came from the National School of Drama (NSD) to Mumbai, it was a struggle and then I started getting smaller roles. Once I started doing movies, theatre se darr lagne laga. Camera ke saamne maza aane laga. Aur phir theatre kiya hi nahi. Over the years, I started getting the feeling that as an artiste I haven’t done something challenging for long. Mujhe lagne laga ki shayad uss type ka kaam hi nahi ho raha movies mein where I can experiment. I am not dismissing cinema. Great work is happening in cinema too, but sometimes you get that feeling when you are doing films year after year.”

Explaining why theatre intimidates even seasoned film actors, Nawaz says, “Cinema has retakes. In cinema you don’t get to explore much. In this play I am playing four-five characters. Depth wale characters hote hain theatre mein. Cinema mein limitations hoti hain. In theatre I can play Hamlet, Othello, but it is not possible in Hindi films. When they make movies, they want to play safe, and after all, they have to make money. So, I wanted to experiment and theatre helped me do that.”

When asked if one of the reasons to turn to theatre was because today’s films no longer excite him, Nawaz reflects on the cinema that inspired him to become an actor.

“When I saw Parinda, I was shocked to see Nana Patekar’s role. When I saw Seema Biswas’s performance in Bandit Queen, I was blown away. Films like Satya, Maqbool and Sparsh excited me. These experiments broke industry clichés. If you see these films, you’ll realize that it’s theatre actors who have delivered some of the most realistic performances on screen. They brought realism to the industry. Today, cinema is all about the box office. People ask, ‘How much has the film made? Rs 100 crore? Okay, let’s go and watch it.’”

Equally special for Nawaz is introducing his daughter Shora to acting through theatre rather than films. At just 15, she is playing a 26-year-old character in Naqaab. “Shora also wanted to act, so she trained under Paritosh Painter who’s directing the play.”

He firmly believes theatre teaches what workshops cannot. “Shora did five-six workshops in London, but it wasn’t enough. I thought let’s get her on stage and make her learn. We started from 50 instead of zero and she needs to reach 100. The role is very difficult. It will be easier for her to do films now.”

Nawaz admits his daughter doesn’t go easy on him. He smiles and shares, “She doesn’t like my roles. She hasn’t even seen much of my work. She has seen Gangs Of Wasseypur. If I make a mistake on stage, she tells me. She is critical of my work. I am not.”

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.”