A lot has changed for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who went from doing bit roles in films to headlining several path-breaking movies. But there is something that has remained the same in his 25-year career. “My ambition to find films that allow me to build characters,” he says, pointing to his latest release, Rautu Ka Raaz.

The ZEE5 offering sees Siddiqui as a cop investigating a murder that has rocked the sleepy town. Many murder mysteries have had a similar premise. But Siddiqui points out that he is not particularly interested in a film’s story; what he seeks are characters. “I have played a cop many times. But what this man goes through makes him different from all the cops I have played before. I’m not very interested in how good a story is. I am interested in the character’s psyche. Stories are almost the same, but a simple story becomes interesting when a unique character is put into it,” explains the actor.