‘My choices have been different’
A BOY FROM BALIA, WHO’D LEFT HIS CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY COURSE, SIDDHANTH WAS SURE HE’D ACT WITH KATRINA, DEEPIKA AND ALIA
It’d be a dream for any actor to say, “One day, I’ll work with Alia, Katrina and Deepika, and in Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions and Excel Entertainment. Such is the dream that’s coming true for Siddhant Chaturvedi, who was recently seen in Bunty Aur Babli 2. The actor’s performance has been lauded and Gully Boy’s MC Sher did a very different character, moving from Bantai to Bunty in the film. “Yes, it has come true and it was not a dream,” says an assured Siddhant whose trailer of the film Gehraiyaan co-starring Deepika just dropped on Thursday.
A SMALL-TOWN BOY
After Gully Boy with Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh and Bunty Aur Babli 2 with Rani Mukerji, he also has films like Phone Bhoot with Katrina Kaif, Yudhra with Malavika Mohanan and Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan with Ananya Panday again. The rising star was a boy from Balia, who’d dropped out from his chartered accountancy course and wanted to be an actor. “I’d watch movies till late, wake up late and if there were no auditions that week, I’d just be lying down,” says Siddhant. “While my other friends were out there making a lot of money, my family supported me. My mother would often tell me to wake up and do something. She was of the opinion that instead of lazing around I should get better in dancing, martial arts and other things connected to acting like even reading books, singing or playing the guitar so I was ready when someone gave me work. She would say, ‘It is not that Karan Johar is going to call you and launch you one day.’ So when the call from Karan Johar did come for this Shakun-Batra film, I called mum and teased her about it. I always said that I would work with Katrina, Deepika and Alia and I am working with all of them.”
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
My mother would often tell me to do something. She was of the opinion that instead of lazing around I should get better in dancing, martial arts and other things connected to acting so I was ready when someone gave me work — Siddhant Chaturvedi
Siddhant believes that the promotions for Bunty Aur Babli 2 were also a turning point. “I got fame from Gully Boy, but I was not the hero. I was playing a gritty and intense character in the film. But I was always a Govinda fan and loved song and dance. And here I was on Bigg Boss with Salman Khan, on KBC with Amitabh Bachchan and The Kapil Sharma
Show. My family is very emotional and turns on the volume every time I am on screen,” he adds. Parallels can be drawn for the character plots of MC Sher and Bhiku Mhatre’ in Satya (1998) as well. “My father says that Bhiku Mhatre was not the lead role, but the audience gave him a lot of love,” agrees Siddhant. Siddhant wants to do everything now including taking Indian cinema international. “My choices have been different and I have been doing different genre films. I want to reach every household. I have a commercial knack as I have done my CA. This is a great mix of art and commerce. I want to do something for B-wood similar to what’s happening with Korean movies. Our filmmaking and culture should reach everywhere,” he signs off.