Did not want to look like a caricature: Nawazuddin

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's film Thackeray that was held back in the UAE last weekend is now slated to release in UAE theatres tomorrow. Though the movie is listed in local cinema websites (both in Hindi and Marathi), there was no official confirmation from local sources until the time of going to press. 
"I felt terrible that my film did not release on time in the UAE," Nawazuddin told City Times over the phone on Monday night. "Dubai is my second home. I always have a great time in Dubai. I am glad everyone will get to see my movie in the Gulf finally this week." 
The actor spoke to us around midnight on Monday, after finishing the shooting of Netflix's Sacred Games Season 2. The National Award-winning actor is on a new high because, as a solo lead actor, this is the first highest and biggest opening for him (the movie released in India as planned last week). 
Thackeray, a biopic on the late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray earned over Rs 6 crores on the first day of its release at the box-office. The movie's budget was 20 crores and it has already collected around Rs22 crores so far. 
"I am getting a fantastic response from everyone. I am glad even Amitabh Bachchan complimented me for my performance. I do not care about the box-office, but it makes me very happy when people appreciate my performance. For the first time, my movie got an opening of around 1,400 screens. It has never happened before with any of my other (solo) films. 
"Thackeray is also my first film that minted so much money. What makes me happy is the fact that people are loving my movie and going to theatres," said the versatile actor.
The 44-year-old actor is known for taking up roles that challenge him as an actor and take him out of his comfort zone. And he knew this biopic was a role of a lifetime. 
"When I got the role, it was a big challenge for me because there are various dimensions to Balasaheb's personality that any actor would like to explore. I started studying him for this role. So many people have seen him in real life, there are plenty of his interviews available on the internet. I kept meeting people who were close to him and kept asking them various questions related to him. I tried to understand his thought process, habits and characteristics. I wanted to make sure I didn't come across as a caricature. I also did not want to look like I was doing his mimicry. These were the challenges that I had to stride through."
The Lunchbox star took a month to study Marathi. He even learned to play the harmonium to get a grasp of the tones in Balasaheb's voice, 
"For Thackeray, I learned the harmonium to get the tone of Balasaheb's voice. There was a different tone in which he would talk at home and a different sound when he would give speeches to large audiences."
The 44-year-old, who has completed over two decades in the industry, struggled for 20 years before making it big in the industry with movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Badlapur, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Raees, and Manto. 
His next film Photograph  screened at the Sundance Film Festival a few days back. He is currently busy shooting for Sacred Games Season 2. 
"I celebrated the success of Thackeray on the sets of Sacred Games which I am shooting along with Anurag Kashyap. After the success of the first season of Sacred Games, the cast is all excited about coming together again. 
"Everyone on the sets of Sacred Games has come with double the enthusiasm and energy. Everyone is working hard as a team. The second season will be better and more significant than the first one."