Irrfan Khan reportedly broke down in tears when he saw Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s one-take performance, according to director Kabir Khan. Nawazuddin was hired by Kabir for a small part in the 2009 film New York, which stars Katrina Kaif and John Abraham.
In the movie, Nawazuddin portrayed the role of Jilgai. This was the man who was tortured while being held as a suspect following 9/11. Kabir reconnected with Nawaz for the hugely successful Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which also starred Kareena Kapoor, Salman Khan, and Nawazuddin, over ten years after first recognizing his brilliance.
Nawaz Auditions for New York
Kabir recounted how Nawazuddin was chosen for the role in an interview with Humans of Film, as well as how many New York viewers inquired about the case study’s source. The director claims that Nawaz was mistaken for a real person rather than an actress. Additionally, he noted that because casting directors were not as many back then, auditions were conducted by the casting directors’ teams of assistants. In my entire career, I have only seen one audition, and that was Nawaz’s.
Tears Welled up in Irfan’s Eyes After Seeing Nawaz
Nawaz was traveling abroad for the first time when Kabir accompanied him to New York for the monologue shoot for the 2009 movie, Kabir recounted. It was a three to four minute take without pausing, and I didn’t do another since the crew started to cry and applaud simultaneously when I said to stop. I can still picture Irfan walking after 30 minutes. Everyone was talking about Nawaz’s performance, he informed me. I brought Irrfan over to the monitor where I played it, and as he watched it, tears streamed down his cheeks. He proceeded to hug Nawaz after asking “Where is yaar Nawaz?” What a split second that was.
Later, Irrfan and Nawaz collaborated on movies like The Lunchbox and Bypass.