Actor Sidharth MalhotrA tells Sakshi Sharma about his trajectory that has strayed from the usual. Even his new film Marjaavaan has a twist
Decked up in a faded green denim jacket paired with a grey t-shirt, actor Sidharth Malhotra seemed his usual warm self, sipping coffee, quite contrary to the breakout role he is attempting through a stasis in his career. The actor who has usually done stylish and suave roles, will be seen delivering massy dialogues, sporting a street-style headband in his forthcoming film, Marjaavaan.
The actor said, “I haven’t played such a larger than life character and quintessential hero breaking chains before. It felt good, looking powerful on screen and portraying a character which has such a strong aura.”
Directed by Milap Milan Zaveri, the film is a love story of Raghu (played by Sidharth) and Zoya (played by Tara Sutaria) whose world is turned upside down when a vertically challenged (dwarf) gang leader (played by Riteish Deshmukh) with harmful intentions makes an entry.
Sidharth said that the film has the typical drama and entertainment like any other commercial Hindi film. It’s not a true story but a world that we have created. The audience has a plethora of elements to love in the film, be it the love story or action or the hero-villain drama.
Bollywood has been full of romantic and action films, which have had tragic endings. The actor tells us why this one is different. “The storyline! It has some interesting dynamics attached to it. The couple is in their happy space until a tragedy hits later. Its turning point will force the audience to dig deeper. And that’s the fun of it,” said he.
Raghu, an orphan boy who is brought up in the suburban areas of Mumbai, meets Zoya, who is speech-impaired. She has to express her emotions without dialogues. And for Sidharth, this became the most interesting part of the film. He said, “The emotions being portrayed in the film are very nuanced and etched in its narrative. It is an innocent love story, which will make the audience feel bad with its tragedy too. I too felt it when I heard the script.”
‘Masjid aur mandir dono milenge’ (We will get both, temple and mosque), the actor can be seen saying in the trailer. It seems as if the film has a take on the ongoing religious indifferences in the country. But the actor said that it’s a “hard core” love story and doesn’t intend to be a message. He then recalled an incident and said, “I wanted my character to have a universal name that doesn’t represent any religion. But when I was named Raghu, it seemed inclined towards a religion. So I was given four tattoos on my fist which represent the four most famous religions of the country. And because I am an orphan, for me every religion is the same. I loved this as a thought. Though the film is not about this but it’s a subtle attempt to throw light on this topic.”
Since the film stars Riteish opposite Sidharth, which would remind one of Ek Villain, rumours have it that the film is its sequel. Denying such claims, the actor said that it has more of thrill and drama. “I wish I could tell you how different they are but then I’ll end up telling you the whole story. So you’ll have to watch the film and discover for yourself,” said he.
Sidharth had to work a lot on his physique because he had to look strong enough for the action sequences. Even the styling and personal attitude was worked upon. He had to give his body language a new flair, be it while wearing the headband, lighting a matchstick or delivering dialogues in a way that street thugs do. But the actor seemed prepared for all the risks. “There’s no easy or safe film. Even while I was doing Ek Villain, where I have played a strong character, people were doubting me. But that was my Rs 100 crore film. This profession is about embracing the uncertainties and believing that no character is safe,” said he.
This is an era where all the young actors are competing for the same roles in content-driven films. How does he plan to stay ahead of them? “I have always done different films. On one hand there is Ek Villain while on the other, there is Kapoor And Sons. They are very opposite characters. And when you see that the audience accepts you in the variety that you offer, it opens up a larger variety of script. However, it has to excite me personally regardless of what somebody else is doing. If you see my trajectory of work whether it’s a love story or murder mystery or action film I have always tried to stay different. My current film is screwed to a different flavour of action love story.”
The actor, who made his Bollywood debut from Student Of The Year alongside Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, seemed to be the most promising one. However, after seven years of the film, the other two seem to have a better career graph. When asked about it, Sidharth said, “I don’t have my ears to what people say. I think that’s irrelevant. What matters is the kind of choices I make in films. The box office is more important. We are all doing different kinds of films. No actor is sticking to one zone. Everyone’s experimenting and doing variety. Every Friday is different. I have had Fridays that were beyond my expectations and I have had the ones which were not up to my expectations. That is how the industry is, very unpredictable. The good thing which I feel over the years is that now there’s no fear of the unknown. I have seen successes and failures and it adds to me as a performer.”
(The film releases on November 15.)
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
