‘IT’S A VERY INTERESTING PHASE’
Sidharth Malhotra says the ‘struggling Delhi boy’ inside him still hasn’t left his system as he still has the ‘hunger and anxiety’
Sidharth Malhotra is on a high. The actor’s performance in his latest release, Ittefaq, has earned him rave reviews, and coincidentally, it’s all happening in 2017, when he completes five years in Bollywood. Although his previous two films, Baar Baar Dekho (2016) and A Gentleman didn’t do well at the box office, Sidharth says he’s “excited” about Ittefaq’s success, especially since it wasn’t promoted like a usual Hindi film. “I was feeling a bit guilty. I was wondering whether we were doing the right thing. Now, in hindsight, I feel it was a great decision,” says the actor, as he talks about life, career, link-up rumours, and more.
This is your fifth year in the industry. How has the journey been so far?
There have been a lot of upsand-downs. I don’t feel I have been here for that long, but I think I’ve gained a lot of maturity. I am still a young actor who is still learning. That process is not over. There is so much to absorb, understand and use. I feel this is the beginning for me. With Ittefaq, I have learnt to try something different. So I am in that early phase of maturing. The struggling Delhi boy in me still hasn’t left (smiles), so I still have the hunger and anxiety to keep challenging [myself] and try new things. I don’t look at five years as a benchmark at all. I feel that the journey is very long, and this is just the beginning.
So, the Delhi boy in you is still alive and kicking…
Absolutely! The boy from Bhagat Singh College and Defence Colony is still there. I feel now is the time for him to get into movies, especially since people have not seen that side of mine. It is a very interesting phase and I can use those facets and aspects of my life in my performances. But I don’t feel that I have arrived at all. Five years may be a landmark, but in terms of films and legacy, it is not. Hopefully, ten years from now, I will have a legacy.
Your new film, Ittefaq is getting great reviews and has done well commercially, too. Are you relieved, given that your last two films didn’t do well?
As an actor, it feels very satisfying, more so because the film is unique and we didn’t even promote it. We wanted the film to speak for itself. It was a big risk, because we didn’t glamourise it to make a commercial film and attract people — so there’s no love story, no song-and-dance sequences, no breathtaking locations, or action. There is nothing to attract audiences barring the story and performances. When such a film does well, it’s very satisfying for the entire team, including the first time director (Abhay Chopra), who has done a great job.
Was it scary when your last two projects failed to live up to expectations?
More than being scary, it challenges you to keep your focus and your morale high. It is important, because there’s so much negative chatter anyway. I feel that me not being from the industry has helped me, because I have had a different journey. I have faced my fair share of rejections and have had my share of struggles and obstacles. I don’t think it’s new for me to not get something that I want or to taste failure. Of course, I did not see it at this scale, because I hadn’t had a bad run like this earlier. But it was mentally challenging, and the only answer to it was my performance. Experiencing that (setback) does not trouble me, but it was new for me. Maybe, in the next year or so, we will laugh it off (laughs).
I don’t feel I have been here for that long, but I think I’ve gained a lot of maturity. I am still a young actor who is still learning. SIDHARTH MALHOTRA, ACTOR
In Bollywood, usually, actors are written off after one or two unsuccessful films. Keeping that in mind, how satisfying is the success of Ittefaq for you?
I think it makes you stronger, gives you a sense of self and the confidence to stand on your own feet and [focus on] your own performances. Eventually, there are hundreds of people who want to take your place. There are also people who are eager to write you off because unfortunately, this is how the environment [in the film industry] is. People like spreading negativity rather than coming up with encouragement. I think the only way you can stand your ground is by doing your job well. A film doing well is the only thing that you can take strength from.
But even after two unsuccessful films, weren’t you enticed to apply the triedandtested formula (of romantic films)?
I didn’t want to go the predictable way. If I was predictable, I would not have made it in Mumbai in the first place. I would have been doing MBA somewhere in Delhi; something that a majority of kids were doing at that time. It was important to pick far more challenging and difficult things and do well in it. I always knew it will give me a sense of confidence. That’s why I did not go to a ‘safer’ film. It’s not like I have only come here to sing and dance. Also, I believe in content, and it’s coincidence that I got this film at a time when I was going through a tough phase.
After five years in the industry, are you at ease with it?
Yes, in that sense, five years has helped. The industry is a bit more comfortable and I feel a bit more at home here as opposed to feeling alien (laughs). For instance, over the years, the relationships that I have built with directors, producers and actors have become slightly older and mature.
So, you don’t feel awkward anymore at a Bollywood party?
Not at all. Now, I go to parties because I know the host well and others too, so things have warmed up well. I’ve more relationships to maintain and sustain now, as opposed to when I was an outsider.
Your next is Aiyaari with Neeraj Pandey. You must be excited?
I love Neeraj as a director. His ideas are always socially relevant with a thrill element to it. With this film, he is going back to that zone. I am very excited to play an army man for the first time. I also come from an army background since my grandfather was in the army and though my dad thinks he is in the army he is in merchant navy (laughs). Dad was very happy when I showed him my pictures in the uniform. I hope he likes the film. It’s an interesting, relevant thriller drama.
Also, you are going to play Captain Vikram Batra in your forthcoming film…
Yes, that’s another special film. It is still at a very early stage of writing. The family had approached me to play him, who is sadly no more. It is a very inspiring and true story. It was the first time that I got touched by a story like this, especially seeing this kind of personality and getting to know what they did during the Kargil war. I reacted very emotionally. The only reason I am not starting it right now is because I want to put in the right amount of preparation for it. As soon as I am happy with the script, we will start shooting.