Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the legendary actor, turned 48 today. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and is widely regarded as one of India‘s best performers. He has not only established himself as one of the best but has also made a name for himself in Hollywood.

In honour of his birthday, here are five of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s best performances.

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1. Kahani, 2012

Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘Kahaani’, an unique original Bollywood story that engages both mind and heart, lives up to the age-old adage that it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

On the surface, it is a detective story about a pregnant woman’s search for her missing husband in Kolkata, but its core aims to revitalise a gender that is frequently associated with handicapped and senior citizens in public life.

Nawazuddin’s egotistical and hot-tempered police officer contributed significantly to the film’s success.

2. Gangs of Wasseypur, 2012

It’s one of the best Bollywood films in recent memory, and it also showcased the breadth of Siddiqui’s acting skills, earning him the Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards.

In Anurag Kashyap‘s now-iconic gangster film, Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Faizal Khan, Sardar Khan’s second son. After his father and brother died, Faizal was obliged to take over his family’s crime syndicate.

‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ inadvertently drew international filmmakers’ attention to Siddiqui, spurring him to even greater heights. 

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3.Raman Raghav 2.0, 2016

Anurag Kashyap is renowned for pushing the boundaries, and Nawazuddin is often his henchman. According to Variety, Nawazuddin performed “literally unblinking intensity” as the real-life serial killer who used to function in Bombay in the 1960s.

Nawazuddin’s performance is enough to make viewers flinch even without the actual graphic violence from the crimes committed. The film is a smash hit when combined with Kashyap’s strange, outlandish style of filmmaking.

4. Manjhi- The Mountain Man, 2016

Dashrath Manjhi’s life was the inspiration for this film. Manjhi, also known as the “Mountain Man,” was a poor labourer from Gehlaur village in Gaya, Bihar, who used only a hammer and chisel to carve a path 9.1 metres wide and 110 metres long through a 7.6-meter-high hill.

During the film’s promotion, Siddiqui stated that ‘Manjhi’ was his most difficult role to date, but it all appears so effortless on screen.

While the film was excellent in and of itself, Nawazuddin’s dedication to the role stole the show, demonstrating his adaptability to any role.

5. Manto, 2018

‘Manto’ is a film about the life of influential Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto. Nawaz’s performance was outstanding. The actor captured Manto’s troubled feeling in his writing, as well as the writer’s frustration at leaving Bombay, the city he felt most at home in during Partition. Nawaz deserves a lot of credit for the seamless transition of Manto’s life from paper to screen.

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Nawaz struggled for 12 years as an actor before breaking through with Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ in 2012. Since then, he has struck a delicate balance between commercial cinema and films that fully exploit his artistic potential.