Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 22, 2017)

We know that Sidharth Malhotra, a middle class Delhi boy always wanted to be an actor. He assisted Karan Johar on My Name Is Khan. But not much is known about his life before he became a star. In a conversation with After Hrs, the actor talks about his journey that led him to being the star that he is today. Read on....

Was acting a childhood dream?
No! Dad was working in the Merchant Navy and we have always been a service class family. So that ‘I can be an actor’ never occured to me. I never believed that I could do that. I used to feel kya faayda kar ke. But there was a subtle spark when I saw Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. My brother and my mum saw me doing the SRK pose, dancing to Tujhe dekha toh. They would make fun of me saying, ‘Tujhe hero banna hai kya?’ My family used to feel ki masti kar raha hai and there’s no seriousness to me being an actor or model. Because of that environment, I never truly believed in becoming an actor too.

So you were never interested in drama in school?
No, because I didn’t believe that I could perform well. Even in school, I was more into sports. I think everything happened by accident, so when I look back now, I know that I was copying that DDLJ song for a reason!

How were you as a student?
Extremely bad! (Laughs) I was terrible in studies. I was good till class eighth and ninth. As soon as I made girlfriends, I became bad! (Laughs) I started dating and I got totally distracted. Also, maybe I think, I wasn’t ready to get educated back then. If somebody taught me something right now, I’d learn it. I was a bit distracted as a child.

Kids want to become different things every year. Do you also have such memories?
I was a lost child, who didn’t have clear dreams. It all started when I turned 17-18. After that I went to Rishikesh and I changed. I enjoyed the river rafting there and I thought I would become an instructor for adventure sports. But then modelling happened. I saw, ‘Arre waah, ramp pe chalne ko milta hai and you get money. It’s so easy.’ Then, in my 19-20s, I was hit by this sudden realisation when someone liked my audition and I thought, I’d better go to Mumbai and try it. So it was deep down inside. Because I was extremely introverted, I kept everything to myself at that time. It was so far-fetched that I didn’t have the confidence to tell people ki main hero banunga.

How did the modelling stint began?
A friend got five to six of us entry into a club and after two hours, we realised that the party was actually a hunt for new faces for Elite Modelling Agency. Two friends of mine and I were selected along with three girls. We got a free scholarship for the agency and the ball started rolling. I was shy and they liked that about me. There were a series of photoshoots that led to a nice snowballing effect with me coming to Mumbai and trying to be an actor.

Did your family have apprehensions when you started modelling?
My first photoshoot was for a Samsung phone. We finished in five-six hours and they paid me Rs 5,000. Sab kaat-kutake Rs 3,000 mila mujhko, after commission and tax. I gave that to my mom and she felt good. That was all I wanted to do during my college and make money. So they thought it will be that only! They were surprised when the audition worked out and someone gave me a contract of a movie at 21-22 and I came to Mumbai.

Which movie was this?
It was a film with Anubhav Sinha. An action film made with newcomers, which Adlabs was producing at that time. It’s funny because I’m friendly with Adlabs owner Aarti Shetty now. So whenever I see her, I keep telling her that you are the reason I came here.

That film didn’t work out then?
Anubhav Sinha got Ra.One. He left us (Smiles). So then, I walked out of it. I was feeling really low at that point because mujhe laga ki contract dikhaya and ab nahi ho raha. I knew I had to be serious about everything and I started modelling, making money on the side. I tried renting a house in Mumbai, which was another painful process.

Why painful?
Because people rejected me on various points. Someone rejected me outright because I wanted to become an actor. Someone didn’t give me a house because I eat non-vegetarian food. Sometime, people refused to budge when it came to rent. I told them I couldn’t afford it and requested them to reduce the rent by Rs 1000 - Rs 2000 but they wouldn’t understand. Life taught me a lot about it.

Did you rent a house by yourself?
No, I did both. For about one-and-half to two years, I stayed with people. In a one-and-half bedroom flat in Juhu. The half bedroom was mine whereas the bigger bedroom had both the other flatmates. We all used to contribute some Rs 10000 to the rent and then there were electricity and food bills. I didn’t have a proper job like the other two, I was the only one to have an AD’s job. I used to wake up first and I remember none of us used to shop for groceries or anything. So predominantly, I would get up and realise eggs nahi hai. I would walk down every second morning, get bread, eggs and then boil them, toast the bread, eat that and keep some for the roommates. It was more like a hostel. We partied and had our share of fun.

Do you remember the pay cheque you got for Student Of The Year?
I had not told my roommates that I was doing a film. So I took them and my other friends out for dinner. I got the first cheque of Rs 1,10,000. So I told them I’m doing a Karan Johar film and they were all excited. After four hours of partying, the bill that came was of Rs 55,000! I spent it all. I didn’t feel bad because I knew that moment will never come back. I will never get to celebrate signing my first film again. Even if that meant spending half my pay cheque, so be it. At least, I had fun and we still remember that night.

Did you feel out of place when you started the film?
I was extremely nervous. My palms were sweaty. I was not too aware, nobody told me that I had to do any kind of homework. I started fumbling really badly. My co-stars Varun and Alia at least had that comfort because they were aware of how things happen. I’d never seen an actor rehearse. They had seen actors rehearse, prepare and then perform, cheat at times for camera, use glycerine and cry. So definitely the whole process of rehearsing, dance — I completely felt out of place in the beginning.

Are you still the same Delhi guy you were when you started out?
Well, at heart, yes I haven’t changed a bit. I feel and think in the same middle-class way that my Delhi upbringing made me think in all these years. Stardom has never hit me hard that I feel now, I have cemented my position so I can behave, talk and do what I want to. But I stay alone here, so I’m more responsible and aware about things now. I have learnt a lot of new things. As an actor, I am hoping people have seen me grow. I have had a fulfilling experience till now. But there’s a lot more to come.

Delhi boy Sidharth Malhotra wants his family to move to Mumbai to be with him
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; August 24, 2015)


As did Sidharth Malhotra, who got a dream launch and overnight stardom with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. Four films later, it’s clear he is here to stay. Meanwhile his family continues to live in Delhi. Now his dream is to move his family to this city and give them a lifestyle that they are accustomed to. Here he talks about family matters. Read on...

Does Mumbai feel like home now, or is it just a place where you work?
Mumbai feels like home. It feels like a very comfortable home now, actually, though I miss Delhi. I am 30 now. I wish my family was here. I miss interacting with them and being with them on a daily basis.

What’s keeping your parents in the Capital? They must be retired now...
Hopefully, they will move here at some point. But I need to be better equipped before I get them here. I want to give them the best. So that’s when I mean when I talk about being ambitious. I want to get much more settled financially and property-wise, so that I can take good care of them. But they are not alone, my brother, his wife and their kid live with them, my whole family is there. We have a wonderful house there.

Everybody does in Delhi. Here, we all live in match boxes.
Exactly. I am aiming for something big. Recently, I was telling someone, ‘I want to look for land, where can I get this land,' and they laughed at me. But then so did people in Delhi when I said that I wanted to be an actor. I think anything is possible.

Sidharth Malhotra on his brothers (on screen and off it), his four-month break and more...
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; August 12, 2015)


One a scale of one to 10, how exhausting was shooting for Brothers?
Twelve! There was much stress… The stress to match up with Akshay Sir, his action persona, and doing marital arts — which is his home ground — with him. He knows kicking and punching since years and I have no such background. The stress of looking convincing, the stress of looking like a person who has a certain presence of a guy who can physically hurt him. In that sense, both Karan (Malhotra, director) and I were aware of that. So they made me gain 10 kilos and made Akshay lose 10 kilos. And from there on, I felt happy that the physical transformation would make the character believable. I took four months off and did nothing, but just trained for this film.

That must’ve meant losing out on a lot of work...
Yes, but I think that’s paying off now. There’s no way an actor can keep gaining weight for a film, and doing other things at the same time. I used to train five-six hours a day with international trainers, then with my gym trainer, then for the recovery ice bath... So those four months were a great transformation phase where I ate, lived and breathed my character. Just like these fighters do and that’s what makes it a little convincing. He (Akshay) already having a background made it easier for him. For me, starting from scratch was difficult, but I think people will see the end product.

There was no insecurity when you did nothing for those four months and other actors were signing films, doing shows, shooting for endorsements, etc?
That, of course, but I didn’t feel it at that time. When I told Reshma (Shetty, his manager), about taking a break to train she said, ‘Oh, when do you want to start and finish?’ I said this will go on till four months. Her reaction was, “What!” I said “It’s a big film, what’s the point of giving it a half-hearted attempt because of our schedule. I said I have got a great opportunity and I will be stupid to miss it.” Now, maybe, in retrospect people say, ‘You missed out on other activities because you didn’t do anything.’ I didn’t do ads, I didn’t do any events, very few, because the look was also such I was not fitting into any clothes, I was getting bigger and broader everyday. And I am already big. Now I think, it all pays off this Friday. So then it’s quality over quantity, I am happy.

During the shoot of the film, Akshay stopped going out completely because it was so physically exhausting. Did that happen with you as well?
Oh yes. There were certain days where I was required to shoot slightly longer than him also. Akshay sir was there from seven to two and lunch time because he didn’t want to take any break, so we used to shoot nonstop. I used to take a lunch break and then we used to shoot till six. I had a longer shift. Obviously he has earned that space. There was a difference between our time on the set, which is fair enough. So, during the making of Brothers, I went into more of a shell because there was no time for socialising or even interacting with the family. There were days when I would come home and pass out even without eating. My cook was worried for me. He used to say, “khana nahi kha rahe aur so jaate hain.” I would just drink a shake and just crash. That phase for the latter half of last year was a space where I totally went into a shell. I anyway don’t get out much, and people were like, ‘Where the f**k is he? Don’t really know kya kar raha hai.’ When they would see me somewhere they would say ‘aare tum ne daddi kab ugali’. I met Salman (Khan) and Hrithik (Roshan) at Arpita’s wedding and it took a while for them to recognise me. I was wearing a suit, I looked even older with the beard wearing one big achkan. Hrithik looked at me and said ”shit what happened to you?” That reaction excited me, so yes that phase of going into a shell I feel was required. It pays off when you live in that zone for 24 hours.

Method acting is big in Hollywood...
Yes, they take their one film and do that and the impact is seen. See luck is different but if you put in hard work, it always gets you good returns. See with Akshay sir also in his career, he has done so much and it has given him back. I believe in the same, and it is paying off so far. I think that should be a trend for at least younger actors. Financially, if we are strong why we can’t do one film in a year? And give the role everything that it demands.

What sort of relationship do you share with your older brother?
He is six years older than me and we have obviously grown up in the same house, in the same room so we had lot of fights. And it’s tougher to beat somebody up when you are ten and he is 16. He was stronger, so the easiest thing I could do, was scratch him. That’s the quickest because I couldn’t hurt him so I used to scratch him hard during fights. And he used to have marks and my mom thought his girlfriend. (Grins) So, we have had a regular upbringing. I think in the late teens brothers don’t want to see each other, So I was in my own zone, I was 13 and he was 19. When I was 16, he was 22, and he was like I don’t want to hang out with you. I think we are more connected now. I think siblings bond more when they are men, rather than as boys. Today, also I feel much more settled and older. I am thirty today and he is thirty six and he has a family. He has a child. So, now we bond in a different way we have an emotional bond much more than we did before.

What were most of the fights with your brother over?
When I was young, random things.. about wearing his T shirt, tearing his T shirt, not leaving the room when he wants to talk on the phone to his girl friend, and me trying to get the phone from him to talk to my girlfriend, then waking up in the night where one wanted to study and the other wanted to sleep. I was very bad in studies and he would complain to mom. So, we have done the most weirdest and bizarre things you know when you live with somebody. I was so pissed off with him once he had beaten me up when we were fighting and obviously there was little blood all over my face. I went to the loo to wash my face and I was so pissed. The first thing I saw was his tooth brush and I picked up the tooth brush, put it inside the commode and put it back in its place.

That’s so cruel!
(Laughs) I told him after a week. Put yourself in my place, you are so angry, you are the weaker one and your sibling is six years older so then what do you do? You can’t physically hurt him… So the only thing I was doing for my satisfaction was being a sadist.

In Brothers, you and Akshay stop talking to each other. Off-screen how are you likely to react to an issue with your brother?
I used to shut down. Actually, I think most men do that. We tend to keep things in our hearts about what upset us because I think genetically or whatever it is, we are just programmed that way. It’s very similar to this film also. Two men don’t really talk about their issue till the very end, till the climax you see ke problem kya hai. You realise what is hurting them and why is he so angry and why is the other one so pissed off with him. So I think the same way, but learning is growing up, as is communicating. Initially I would really keep it inside. I would be giving subtle hints and insults and fight and snap but now I think we both are grown up and he is on the same page.

Who is more mature of the two?
Actually it’s a big toss up because even though he is married, we have done enough stupidity and now we are pretty cool. Now he parties with me and we hang out. But I think he is more mature.

Your dad’s reaction when you said you wanted to be an actor?
My father reacted in the sense that ‘are you sure about it?’ He was a bit confused. I told him when I was 19 or 20. He was not really aware of it. Then he had no idea, kaise karenge, kya hoga. He couldn’t get the connection between me saying I wanted to be an actor and it actually happening. I was modelling by then. But modelling doesn’t mean any surety. So I think he didn’t believe me. It was disbelief ke bakwaas kar raha hai, bol raha hai bachaa, he is a child, let him be happy and there was no such conviction or believing the fact that I would make it. From there I think he has come a long way to be really proud now. He is retired now and become old, he was posing in front of a Brothers poster in a mall and he sent me a picture. I am flying him down on the 12th and he will see the film with me. I have not seen the film yet. I feel responsible that roles have reversed between me and my dad, so I don’t look back at the time when my dad didn’t believe it. I am enjoying the time when my dad is really happy and proud.

Did your brother know about your aspirations?
Ya of course he was aware. He used to look at me and comb my hair in the mirror ke ‘Kya hero ban raha hai.” I never used to study so he used to keep teasing. He is like ‘you know what you have to acquire these skills, it’s not that easy.’ He has seen much more of my filmy side.

How was it shooting the Mary song with Kareena Kapoor?
Kareena and I sadly have only one song and in that song also, all I had to do is not look into her. It was the toughest thing for me because Karan Malhotra said that I had to be in character —brooding, aggressive fighter and someone who doesn’t really pay attention to a girl. So then I was questioning, ‘why was I in this place, it’s like “main kyon aaya hai idhar.’ In fact, I wanted to look at her. So there were many retakes when she was right there doing her charming dancing seductive moves and that time the most natural thing was look at the girl but I was told not to look at her. Looking the other way was the toughest thing I had to do. We have taken many retakes because I kept looking at her. So I had to go through against my natural instinct and ignore Kareena Kapoor’s sexy avatar. She has done a fab job. She loves what she does, it shows she eats and breathes this and she is just so happy on set. I think her team, her way of working, her whole vibe is amazing. I think somebody should make a film on her off camera.