I have no equation or relationship with Irrfan: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Mumbai: Tension and rivalry between two actors is a common phenomenon in the showbiz business. But things get murkier when the tiff involves two big names, such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan, of Bollywood. Despite numerous reports of conflict between Siddiqui and Khan, both of them have always maintained that they have nothing against one another. But during a recent interview with Times of India (TOI), Nawazuddin Siddiqui may have proved speculations right with his sharp choice of words.

When Nawaz was asked to describe his rapport/equation with the four Khans of Bollywood, who he has worked with, the actor blatantly said that he thought Saif Ali Khan is a ‘bigger Khan’ than his four-movie co-star- ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, ‘The Lunchbox’, ‘New York’ and ‘Aaja Nachle’- Irrfan Khan.

“I thought the fourth Khan we’d talk about would be Saif Ali Khan? Isn’t he bigger? I have no equation or relationship with Irrfan. Mere acting ka alag tareeka hai… Uska apna alag tareeka hai … (Our acting techniques are different),” he told TOI.

As for Shah Rukh Khan, the actor said that the superstar is a constant reminder of his theatre days. “My chemistry is best with Shah Rukh Khan. It was like reliving my theatre days, playing to a ‘live’ audience and experiencing the sheer joy of acting.”

While talking about his relationship with Salman Khan, Nawaz said that he never felt that SRK or Salman envied him and has described them as people who are always appreciative of his works. “In the garden of Bollywood, Shah Rukh and Salman are as different as a red and a black rose, each blooming with their own beauty. Neither has ever made me feel or look bad. They’ve never been jealous or told a director to cut my role or reduce my lines. In fact, I’ve become the face of a leading fashion brand for men’s wear which today, sells even better up North than it did before. They were happy to learn this and congratulated me warmly.”

Aamir Khan, on the other hand, Siddiqui insists, has confessed to being ‘blown away’ by his performance in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. He said, “Many have told me that they went back to see my one scene in Sarfarosh after watching me in Gangs of Wasseypur. Aamir did it too; he was so blown away by the 40-second debut performance. I knew that after years of struggle this would be my moment in the spotlight and if I couldn’t nail this, I would never be great even if I were to replace Al Pacino in The Godfather or Scarface. Aamir described my performance as “magic” and I know that for those few seconds, I made the audience ask, “Who’s this guy?” Those days, I would have three-four performances ready to enact, and Aamir, Naseer saab (Naseeruddin Shah) happened to see it while I was doing it in front of the director (John Matthew Mathan).”