His name adds credibility to the films he does and the actor has A-listers vying to work with him but Nawazuddin Siddiqui does not want to think about stardom as he fears it will corrupt his performances.
Film after film, there has been a growth in Nawazuddin's fan following so much so that he gets noticed even in big budget, star-centric movies.
But Nawazuddin does not believe he is a star yet and said he would forever be liked to known as an actor.
"I don't think I am a star. I am just an actor. I don't even think about stardom. Maybe I should but I can't because I find this scary... I feel if I start thinking about the appreciation I get that will corrupt my acting.
"I get praised for the work I do so it is better for me to concentrate on my performances rather than the adulation that comes with it. I am very conscious about this," Nawazuddin told PTI.
The 49-year-old actor, who is riding on the success of his last outing "Manjhi: The Mountain Man", now harbours a wish to play a royal, historical role, on the lines of Dilip Kumar's Saleem in Bollywood classic "Mughal-E-Azam".
The "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" star feels he has dabbled in all genres from romance to comedy to thriller with films like "Manjhi", "Kick", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Kahaani" but his desire to do a period movie is yet to be fulfilled.
"I want to play a royal character. I am longing to do a period film... Something like 'Mughal-E-Azam'... What Dilip Kumar did in the film, something like that. I have done romantic films, comedies so now I want to do something historical," Nawazuddin said.
The actor said he always intends to do as diverse roles because he is wary of getting restricted into an image. He feels actors should have a surprise element every time they come on screen.
"As an actor, I feel we should try every genre. We should be as versatile as possible. We should not be restricted into an image. Doing different kind of films only enhance an actor. We should not hold ourselves," the actor said.
