Nawazuddin Siddiqui does not fit into the image of a typical Bollywood hero and the star says he was never interested in becoming one as he entered the industry with the sole aim to be recognised as a good actor.
The 42-year-old actor started his career with minor roles in films like "Sarfarosh" and "Munna Bhai MBBS". He went on to gain fame after starring in films like "Black Friday", "Kahaani" and "Gangs of Wasseypur".
Nawaz believes his hardwork has paid off as he is finally getting the kind of roles he always wanted to do.
"Everybody has to go through ups and downs that's part and parcel of life. I've also seen a lot of ups and downs in my life but I'm more than happy that now I'm getting the opportunities to play my choice of roles.
"I'd never desired for typical hero roles in Bollywood. I only wanted to make my identity as an actor here. Thanks to our industry, which is now actually writing roles for an artiste like me. Even commercial films have roles for an actor like me so I couldn't ask for more," Nawaz told in an interview.
Over the years, it has been a mixture of hits and flops for Nawaz. His films like "Kick", "Badlapur" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" were box office hits, while "Raman Raghav 2.0", "Te3n" and his recently released "Freaky Ali" were unable to impress the audience.
When asked if failure has ever let him down, the actor says, "I don't believe in it and I'm not even in this race. My job is to focus on good acting and always make sure that I'm doing my best.
"People like my film or dislike it is not in my hand. I can only try to do good work. And also, most of my life I think I've been a failure so, it doesn't affect me much. I've struggled for more than 10-12 years all my life and I've made this special kind of bond with failure. So, if I have to ever face it again, for me, it will be my friend."
The actor has almost worked with all big names of the Indian film industry, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and now Shah Rukh Khan in the upcoming crime action-thriller "Raees".
And, after teaming up with all these A-listers of Bollywood, Nawaz is planning to try his hands at working in Hollywood.
"I will do Hollywood films in the coming years. I'm in talks with many people. I'm going to do a Hollywood series as well."
Nawaz says unlike other Indian actors, who have done few cameos in projects outside of India just to get a Hollywood tag, he would like to focus on doing lead roles.
"My plan mainly is to do lead roles there. Unlike our Indian actors, who get ready to do anything just to be a part of Hollywood, I would only like to go for impactful roles."