After working non-stop for four and half years and getting acclaim for his work in movies such as Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur — Part 1 and 2 and Talaash (all 2012), Nawazuddin Siddiqui is dead tired.

'Working round the clock was getting to me and I needed a break or else I might have become a zombie. Taking a step back from work also gives you time to reflect on the past and where you want to go in the future creatively,' says Nawaz, who has become selective with his work.

During his break, Nawaz went to Germany, Paris, Coorg, Bengaluru, Dehradun, and his hometown- Budhana in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. 'I thought I’d be most rested at home but I didn’t get much rest there as it seemed everyone from the neighbouring towns and villages had come to see me. Logon ka tataan laga hua tha (there was an endless number of people). It felt like the whole of western UP was there,' he says.

Nawaz had gone home after one and half years, after his stading in Bollywood moved up to a different league. 'It was lovely meeting everyone but I couldn’t relax there at all,' he says.

Talking about the other places he visited he says, 'Visiting other places was more relaxing. I’d gone to Germany to the Stuttgart Film Festival and decided on a whim to go to Paris. I ended up staying there for 10 days. I was all alone and it was so much fun roaming around the city. It was fun to chat with French people who aren’t well versed with English, just like me.'

Fashion icon

When he left for Cannes two years ago, Nawazuddin Siddiqui had approached some designers to style him, but apparently no one was willing. The talented actor then bought some fabric and got a suit stitched from a local tailor. He’s come a long way from there, as he was all set to walk the ramp as a showstopper for designer Troy Costa at an ongoing fashion week. 'It will be my first time on the ramp and I am quite excited to be walking as the show stopper,' he says.