Akshat Ajay Sharma describes Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the leading man of his debut film Haddi, as a “master”. The director speaks with a sense of gratitude while recalling his first meeting with the actor, and his faith in him. “He simply told me, ‘Yes.’ During the shoot, he would take three hours each day [to acquire the look],” he says of his film that sees Siddiqui play a transgender person. 

“At the same time, he had to be aware of the emotional aspects of the character. Only a master can do that. He would even improvise lines, like he did for the one in the trailer, ‘Aurat thi, aurat hun, aur aurat rahungi.’ That was the result of his improvisation on a monologue.”