Nawazuddin Siddiqui On Playing Balasaheb Thackeray: 'Portraying The Character Was Very Tough, Worked Really Hard For It'

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays the titular character in Thackeray, the biopic on Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, said in an interview to news agency IANS that portraying the role was “very tough” and he had to work “really hard” on it. “Getting the mannerisms, his thought process and internalising his vision to portray the character was very tough and I had to work really hard on that,” IANS quoted Nawazuddin Siddiqui as saying. Speaking about how he prepared himself for the playing the character, Nawazuddin added: "I know that people are talking about my look and the credit goes to the make-up artiste. A good professional make-up artiste can give me the look, but how I am portraying the character depends on how I am preparing for it…I have honestly attempted to do that."

Sanjay Raut, who is the writer as well as co-producer of Thackeray, said that it was a prompt decision to sign Nawazuddin for the role of Balasaheb Thackeray. "I have always liked Nawazuddin Siddiqui's work, but once I was watching one of his films Freaky Ali where he played the role of a golf player When I looked at his face, I thought he could be a choice, but I had to understand if he had the body-language to pull the role. I called him for a meeting at a hotel. I observed his walk and body language…that moment I decided that he would play the character," said Sanjay Raut.

The trailer of Thackeray was released earlier today and it has 1,684,482 views on YouTube so far. The film has been directed by Abhijit Panse. Thackeray also features Amrita Rao, who is playing the role of Meena Thackeray, Balasaheb Thackeray's wife.

Thackeray hits the screens on January 25 next year. The film will release in Hindi and Marathi.

(With inputs from IANS)