Birthday special: Do you know Nawazuddin Siddiqui was a part of 'Dev D'?

Nawazuddin, who turns 47 today, played a band singer in 'Dev D'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is widely perceived to be one of the talented performers in the Hindi film industry and enjoys a strong fan following due to his ability to do justice to 'desi' characters. He has worked with some of Bollywood's most talented directors--- right from Sujoy Ghosh to Kabir Khan-- and proved that he is here to stay.

While everyone is aware of his work in films such as The Lunchbox and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, not many may remember that he was part of Anurag Kashyap's cult film Dev D, which hit the screens in 2009.

The movie was an adaptation of the classic novel Devdas and featured Abhay Deol in the lead. Mahie Gill and Kalki Koechlin played the leading roles, impressing fans with their work. Nawaz appeared in the Emotional Atyachar song, garnering attention with his distinct screen presence.

Also read | Good if brainless cinema is impacted by audience shift to OTT, says Nawazuddin Siddiqui

The star later played the parallel lead in Anurag's popular film Gangs of Wasseypur, which was released in two parts and attained cult status. The film revolved around the violent rivalry between three families and did well at the box office. The cast was headlined by Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chaddha and Huma Qureshi. Nawaz subsequently consolidated his standing with films such as The Lunchbox, Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Badlapur, Raees and Mom. He garnered a fair deal of attention with his work in the web series Sacred Games, co-starring Saif Ali Khan.

Nawaz was last seen in the 'direct to OTT' film Serious Men, which received rave reviews from critics. The cast included Tamil actor Nassar, Sanjay Narvekar and Makdee star Shweta Basu Prasad. He is awaiting the release of Bole Chudiyan, co-starring Tamannaah Bhatia. He also has the romantic-comedy Jogira Sara Ra Ra in his kitty. The film is being directed by Kushan Nandy, who had wielded the microphone for Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, and is likely to have a breezy storyline. The cast includes Neha Sharma and seasoned actor Sanjay Mishra.