Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s ‘permission lena chahiye’ scene with Huma in Gangs of Wasseypur was inspired by his own life

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said that it was one of his girlfriends who told him that he must seek her permission before touching her. The scene was recreated into a now-famous scene in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur and featured Nawazuddin along with Huma Qureshi. (Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui recalls his behaviour changing during Haddi shoot)

Nawazuddin essayed the role of gangster Sardar Khan’s son Faisal Khan in Gangs of Wasseypur. Huma was paired opposite him in the film that came out in 2012.

In an interview with Mashable India, Nawazuddin said that Anurag remembered the story of one of his girlfriends and used it in the popular 2012 film. “I had a girlfriend, I asked her if we could go to a park, looked around and it was quite empty, so I put my hand on hers. She asked me, ‘Yeh kya hai (what is this)?’ I said, ‘Kuch nahi, haath hai (nothing, it’s my hand)’. She said that it is illegal. As soon as she used the word ‘illegal’, all I could think about is police and court cases, and felt that I had committed a huge mistake.”

“Then I asked her, ‘What do you mean by illegal?’ So, she said, ‘If you wanted to put your hand on mine toh permission leni chaahiye thi na (You should have sought permission)’, and I told her ‘baat toh sahi hai (you have a point)’. She then told me, ‘Tomorrow, you will feel like you can touch me anywhere. So, I told her that’s not what I had in mind. Then, she explained to me how, when you visit someone’s house, you knock on their door, you don’t just barge in. So, on one such day, Anurag remembered a story I’d narrated during the workshops.”

Nawazuddin added that Anurag then made Huma and him sit near a lake and they did the whole scene in a single take. The crime-drama was among the first films that catapulted Nawazuddin to national fame. The scene played a very important role in making him famous.

Most recently seen in Sudhir Mishra’s Afwaah, Nawazuddin now has several films lined up for release. He will feature in Kangana Ranaut’s first production, Tiku Weds Sheru. She also has Noorani Chehra, Bole Chudiyan, Haddi and Sangeen in the pipeline.