'I feel blessed to have my films here at Cannes'

It's what Nawazuddin Siddiqui calls the most memorable birthday of his life.

The actor celebrated his 39th birthday on May 19 at the Cannes Film Festival, with friends like Anurag Kashyap, Madhu Mantena, Vikas Behl and Tannishta Chatterjee for company.

Nawaz claims he had nothing special to wear at the prestigious film festival.

“I had no time to get myself any clothes," he says. "Ek suit ghar pe padaa hua tha jo pehla pehna nahin tha. Bas wohi lekar aa gaya.(There was a suit at home that I hadn’t worn before. I brought that here).”

But clothes certainly don't make this actor’s life.

“I feel blessed to have my films here at Cannes," he says. "On Saturday, we had a screening of Monsoon Shootout. On Sunday, there were screenings of Lunchbox and Bombay Talkies. They were well-received. I couldn’t

have hoped for a better birthday gift.”

In the night, Nawaz’s friends hosted a birthday bash for him.

Says Nawaz, “I had lots to celebrate this year. The overwhelming response to my films at Cannes is the highest point in my journey of the last one year.”

At 39, Nawaz feels life has just begun. “For 13 years, I was given no room to grow as an actor. Kuch bhi milta tha main kar leta (I accepted whatever came my way). Gangs Of Wasseypur changed my life. Today, I feel I’ve just begun my life. So this is my first birthday.”

In the picture: Nawazuddin Siddiqui at the Monsoon Shootout photocall in Cannes. Photograph: Samir Hussein/Getty Images/Stringer