Nawazuddin Siddiqui bags lead role in American film Laxman Lopez, says ‘It is a welcome challenge that I yearn for’

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, will play the lead in an American indie film titled Laxman Lopez. The Christmas-themed film will be directed by Roberto Girault and is expected to go on floors in the US by the end of the year. Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui stops his bodyguard from pushing fan away, internet applauds his modesty. Watch

Talking about why he immediately said yes to the project, Nawazuddin told Variety that the narration had him excited for multiple reasons. He said, “For starters, the opportunity to work in a Christmas movie is something very different and immediately had my attention. The director, Roberto Girault, has shown his power and command over the camera, and the way he can unveil new sides to an actor. It is a welcome challenge that I often yearn for. And most importantly, the name, Laxman Lopez, had me instantly curious.”

The portal quoted Roberto as saying, “When I first read the script, I started my search to find the perfect Laxman Lopez and my mind immediately navigated to Nawazuddin. I have seen a few of his works and know that this role will bring out a lesser-known vulnerable side to him.”

On Tuesday, Nawazuddin was seen on the red carpet as he was a part of Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur led star-studded Indian delegation. He joined actors R Madhavan and Kamal Haasan, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, music composer AR Rahman and others at the opening ceremony of the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

As the news of Nawazuddin’s new Hollywood film was shared on Reddit, some of his fans reacted to the development. A fan commented, “He’s such a terrific actor who has diluted his craft in terrible films and half-baked OTT films in recent years. I hope this changes things for him.” The fan later added, “I just wish to also see him do some decent stuff like Manto or Sacred Games.”

Nawazuddin was recently seen as the antagonist in Tiger Shroff-starrer Heropanti 2. He has several Bollywood films in the pipeline including Tiku Weds Sheru, Bole Chudiyan, Jogira Sara Ra Ra and more.