By Arundhuti Banerjee
Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS): In his upcoming film "Marjaavaan", he plays a larger-than-life hero who breaks bones and utters dialogues that reminds of the Angry Young Man image of Bollywood's retro era. Sidharth Malhotra says his new film is a humble attempt to reclaim that era.
The Milap Zaveri-directed "Marjaavaan" also features Tara Sutaria, Riteish Deshmukh and Rakul Preet Singh. Sidharth plays a hotheaded young man who falls in love with a girl who cannot speak. The film releases on November 15.
Did he relate to his character, considering young urbanite youngsters like him don't really get into streetside brawls as they depicted in the eighties? "I am a big fan of action heroes and our Indian action films, where the protagonist does the action with a lot of flare and style. Milap and I are big fans of Bollywood cinema of the seventies and the eighties, and through this film we pay tribute to that era. My character is larger than life, and since the film is essentially a love story, all his actions are driven by emotions. We packaged the film in present times with actions and dialogue-baazi that are retro," Sidharth told IANS.
Starting his career in 2012 with "Student Of The Year", and starring in films such as "Brothers", "Ek Villain", "Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)", "Baar Baar Dekho", "A Gentleman" and "Jabariya Jodi", Sidharth has seen success as well as failure. What has his Bollywood experience taught him?
"It isn't rocket science to understand if a film is working at the box office or not. Since the time I came into the business, there have been films that made money and won me praise, and then, especially with my last couple of releases, things did not turn out the way we expected. But thanks to the bumpy ride I have had in my career, I have learned not to do certain things. It is also true that in films, there is no set formula to success," said the actor.
In the recent past there are several talents who have bagged acting assignments after becoming social media influencer. "That (social media) is a good exposure for new talent looking for opportunity. Having said that, I do not think having great (number of) followers on social media translates to box-office (numbers). For people like us, once we have made fans through our films, it is a great chance to meet fans on social media. Because there is a gap between two films, and that is the time when we put our pictures, update our fans of what we are doing," he replied.
Sidharth also mentioned he makes a conscious effort to meet fans in different countries when he travels.
Does that give him validation to his celebrity status?
"I do not seek validation but reciprocating the love of the people who are giving me positive vibes, and who they like my work. I genuinely care for those who show love and support for my films. I am a performing artist and all my work is for the audience. I am not acting for myself. I always need an audience and that is why I like to meet people of my fan clubs," said the actor.