Looking from the outside, one of the most dazzling aspects of showbiz is the fame that comes with it. However, for Sidhaant Karnick, fame is more of a job hassle. It can elevate you one day and drop you the next without warning. He quickly learnt to keep his distance from it, even though a 14-year-long robust television career makes him more than deserving of it.

He says, “I have seen what fame does. It’s a crazy intoxication, and I knew it was something to be wary of.”

He has come a long way from doing catalogue shoots for Rs. 100 per shirt to featuring alongside stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor in ‘Animal’ and Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan in ‘Adipurush’. He reflects, “After stepping back from television, I had to find ways to sustain myself between projects. I would do these shoots where I would model 50 shirts and earn Rs. 5000, which would keep me afloat for a week.”

Discussing the challenges of switching from television to films, Sidhaant recounts, “After the TV show ‘Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani’ (2016), I had many offers, but they all seemed similar. That’s when the switch happened in my mind. I realized that I needed to move into cinema. It wasn’t easy – two years passed, and I kept busy with workshops, web auditions and rejections. One evening, I received a call for a TV show. The money was tempting, but there was nothing innovative, and I instinctively rejected it. I spent the next two months in regret, but then I received a call for a Swiss film. It was exactly the kind of work that I wanted to do.”

When it comes to favouritism or nepotism within the industry, Sidhaant has a rather balanced view. He says, “If I were an industrialist, I would naturally want my children to take over my business, regardless of the competence of other employees. This is the nature of the world and not unique to our industry. Success involves both luck and preparation. Even industry insiders, after three flops behind them, have to work harder to stay afloat. It’s an open and inclusive industry. Becoming an actor is probably the easiest thing in the world – it doesn’t mandate any specialized education or degree.”

The conversation shifts to one of the most talked-about films in recent times, ‘Animal’. So, how has it been sharing the screen with top Bollywood stars?

“I was intimidated at first. However, as I began working closely with them, I stopped seeing them as stars and started regarding them as professionals. I saw Ranbir being such a professional, and I respect that man so much for it. During a scene in the scorching summer of Haryana in May, I saw him behind the camera, waiting patiently and giving me cues. That’s the respect I received as a co-actor,” Sidhaant recounts. He adds, “Since ‘Animal’, the biggest change has been that I no longer have to queue up for auditions. I used to wait alongside 50 other people, but now it’s much better. Maybe after winning a few awards, they’ll just cast me without an audition (laughs!)”

However, does it bother him to play roles that are so different from the hero persona he carefully crafted on TV? “I don’t question it because I am happy with the opportunities I am receiving. Even in ‘Thappad’, I played the male lead’s brother. My idea was to work with filmmaker Anubhav Sinha. If I am hired as a wife-beater (‘Made In Heaven’), then I have to be the best wife-beater on camera. If I start worrying about how people will perceive me based on my characters, I am diluting the craft,” he signs off.