Minutes into the video call, our interviewee tells us how the media has hardly ever got his name right. His friends and acquaintances call him Sid. Everyone else knows him as Siddharth Mallya, son of businessman and ex-chairman of United Spirits, Vijay Mallya. “[But,] I’m Sidhartha,” he shares, stressing on the final letter of his name. “That’s how it has always been. I really don’t know when they [media] changed it.”

It is late evening in Los Angeles, when we catch up with the 34-year-old, who is currently pursuing a career in acting there, after moving away from the family business in 2012. We’ve been trying to jog our memory, thinking of his last public appearance in India. He admits it has been years. Once a regular face on Mumbai’s party circuit, Sidhartha now prefers the quiet life: He wakes up before dawn, meditates, heads out for a walk, often with his dog, and then hits the gym, before going for acting class. He hasn’t had a sip of alcohol in three years—the irony that he belongs to a family that has been one of the biggest producers of alcohol in the world, is not on lost on him. The change in lifestyle, however, was spurred by his own mental health journey. Sidhartha suffered through depression in 2016 and was also diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a condition he realized he had been living with all along.

“On the first year anniversary of when I stopped drinking, which was 2019, I remember putting up a brief post on Instagram [speaking about that journey]. I had thousands of people respond to it, saying they could relate to everything that I was sharing. I didn’t expect a response like that. What I had done was just be honest and open. I realised that maybe I could continue talking about the other things I was going through,” says Sidhartha, who made his feature film debut in Netflix original Brahman Naman.

In 2020, when the world shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Sidhartha finally decided to kick-start his new online series, ConSIDer This, where he not only spoke about mental issues he struggled with, but also how one could deal with similar challenges. “I always felt this duty to continue doing whatever I could to shine the light on the issue.”

That’s how his just released book, If I’m Honest: A Memoir Of My Mental Health Journey (Westland), was born. “This is not a self-help book,” he assures, adding, “…I am not a Deepak Chopra or Jay Shetty [to write one].” “A lot of times, people aren’t really looking for help. They just want to feel like they are not alone, and for me, sharing my story, and having one other person resonate with it, meant something.”

He chose against having a ghost writer, because he wasn’t comfortable having someone else tell his story, and in their words. This meant rethinking how he would write this book. “What I did was that I almost interviewed myself. I’d walk around with my phone and notepad, and every time something would come to me, I’d write it down on my phone.”

Incidentally, Sidhartha has consciously refrained from name dropping in the book—he doesn’t reveal the identities of his parents, extended family, friends and even girlfriends, because this memoir, he says, isn’t about them “as much as how they were players in the broader picture”. And yet, it’s his parents’ divorce, and the subsequent legal soup that his father found himself in, after his airline Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, ran into trouble, which are at the heart of his story. 

As a child, Sidhartha remembers battling through feelings of loneliness, guilt and abandonment, after Mallya started a new life with his other family, often misdirecting his anger at his mum. “I was holding on to a lot of resentment and anger for a number of years without even being aware of it myself,” he admits. “But when I started working on myself, I began to gain a certain level of empathy for my dad and everyone else. [Sometimes] it helps to see things from other people’s perspective.”

In July this year, Mallya, who left India for the UK in 2016, was declared bankrupt by the insolvency and companies court (ICC) of the high court in the UK. He later sought permission to appeal against his bankruptcy order. Sidhartha invests a chapter titled Sad about Dad, not discussing the case as much as his own helplessness watching his father go through this. “Everyone is entitled to their opinions… but at the end of the day, nobody wants to see someone so close to them suffer, whatever the reason be. To see the stress he has gone through over the last five years, has been painful and difficult,” he says.

What has, however, been most frustrating, is dealing with social media trolls. “I receive messages from people, having a go at me, blaming me for everything. Sometimes people say, ‘who are you to talk about mental health, when your father has caused mental ill-health to so many people’. [That’s when] you kind of feel like you are caught between a rock and a hard place.” 

He says that while writing this book, he experienced a lot of different emotions. “I felt upset and angry, but I was adamant that this would not be an angry book. If and when I thought that was happening, I’d edit it out, because that would have not served the actual purpose of the book.”

While the Indian adult comedy scene resembles a cinematic wasteland, a desi filmmaker strikes gold on foreign shores with his new film
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 3, 2016)


While Indian sex comedies have hit rough weathers with the likes of Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 and Mastizaade drawing flak, filmmaker Qaushiq Mukherjee aka Q's Brahman Naman has lucked out abroad.

The sex comedy marks the acting debut of liquor baron Vijay Mallya's son, Siddhartha, and also features Shashank Arora (of Titli fame), Tanmay Dhanania and Chaitanya Varad.

"I did an online search on Q and the film that came up was G*ndu. It is one of the few cuss words I know in my limited Hindi vocabulary and I told myself that I had to get involved with someone who made a film with a title like that," smiles Sid, who was at the premiere of his debut flick at the Sundance Film Festival 2016 recently.

The film received rave reviews at the fest with The Hollywood Reporter calling it "an imaginative reworking of a familiar formula".

It follows a Brahman boy, Naman, and his sidekicks, who are incredibly smart but are struggling to get laid.

Set in the 1980s, the film has the four college-going protagonists trying to win an all-India quiz tournament as well as lose their virginity. "We lived in a house in Mysore and did extensive workshops to get into the skin of the characters. We'd bathe by pouring buckets of water over our heads instead of taking showers, wore the Brahman thread, dhoti and the correct underwear too," Tanmay reveals.

For Shashank, the bigger challenge was to detach from his Titli character.

"Most Bollywood actors spend their entire lives doing the same roles. I had to put my pants down in front of an entire crew. No body does such things due to societal pressure. My character in the film is obnoxious and that's what makes it special."

On Monday, Netflix snapped up the worldwide Subscription on Video Demand rights to the film after the global push it received at the fest. The company's Indian spokesperson revealed that the film helps the expansion plans of Netflix in India and targets the large Indian diaspora and fans of Indian cinema around the world.

"Distribution for us in India has always been a problem. We're hoping this film gets out because we need an American Pie, a film that challenges our social morality and fabric," Q says.

THE RECIPE FOR A PERFECT SEX COMEDY IS...


'Hunterrr didn't make me cringe even for a second'

HANSAL MEHTA, Filmmaker

With Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai behind me, you could call me the pioneer of sex comedy in India. I made it at a time when no one else wanted to. As a society, we will progress if we learn to laugh at everything and enjoy sex jokes as we would enjoy family jokes at the dinner table. I've loved American Pie and while I was on the jury of the recently concluded Filmfare Awards, I caught Hunterrr and thoroughly enjoyed it. All the actors were brilliantly portrayed and I did not cringe through the film even for a second. That's how an adult comedy should be.


'Indians are extremely hypocritical about sex'

ARUNABH KUMAR, Founder - TVF Pitchers, Permanent Roommates

When I was studying at IIT Kharagpur, the boys were perennially confused. When the studious girls came to class, they labelled them "bhenji" and when a firang on an exchange programme visited campus, they called her "too revealing". Similarly, India is extremely hypocritical. The funniest Hindi sex-comedy would be one that brings out all the definitions of sex in our society. Humour has to emerge from characters. It has to be situational as it's everyone's twisted perspective that creates a funny situation. Growing up, we've all enjoyed the likes of American Pie and Euro Trip. The reason I can't think of a memorable Bollywood adult comedy is, well, because there really aren't any.

'Keep it witty, not sleazy'

OMKAR KAPOOR, Actor

Sex comedies don't necessarily have to be about skin show. The film Gone Girl was extremely erotic because it made the scenes titillating without flashing a cleavage or a bottom. It was the illusion of sex that made it appealing. On a lighter note, two boys discussing sex can be funnier than a girl and a boy performing the act. Project X was a film that had me clutching my sides, a typical "girl's out of my league" romance which people of all genders enjoyed. Boys can be supremely goofy!

Post his father’s 60th birthday bash, Sid Mallya talks about his dad, debut film and how he almost worked with Priyanka Chopra
Sanaya Chavda (DNA; December 20, 2015)


Debut dreams
Sid is making his on-screen debut with Brahman Naman, an international film directed by Kolkata-based filmmaker Q. “Ironically it was shot in Bengaluru even though it was a British film, which in a way was kind of nice given my family history in the city. It’s directed by Q and produced by a guy called Steve Barron, who was a very big music video director back in the day, who did the video Take On Me for AHA, Billie Jean, tons of Duran Duran stuff. It was just nice to work with him and Q, because Q’s very artistic and he doesn’t seem to worry about what’s acceptable and what’s not — he just does things. And that’s why it was lots of fun to work on this film. It’s not the biggest role in the film — it’s a supporting lead — but it’s big enough,” says Sid. Delving further into the character he plays, he says, “I am the main antagonist lead. It’s all set in college, Bangalore University. He’s sort of the jock character, gets all the girls and they’re sort of the geeks so that’s where the rivalry comes in. I could definitely relate to bits of it…”

An Indian in Hollywood
What many don’t know is that Sid had also auditioned for a number of ABC shows including Quantico, which has grabbed much headlines for Priyanka Chopra’s leading role. “Like most actors in America I auditioned for a lot of ABC’s pilots, one of them was Quantico and a number of other shows which either did or didn’t get picked up or got cancelled along the way. But that was just in the audition process. Priyanka Chopra is doing really well. That’s all credit to her for sticking through and getting to where she is. I haven’t seen Quantico yet because we don’t get it in the UK. I believe she’s doing a great job and it’s testament to her character and to her work ethic,” he adds. While there are some Indian actors who have managed to make a mark abroad, is Sid concerned about being typecast? “Funnily enough I’m not stereotypically viewed as Indian. They don’t look at me and think I look Indian. In fact, I get more South American than anything else. And I think I’m in a fortunate position because I have that ethnically ambiguous look where I could play Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, South American, Mexican, Egyptian so there’s a lot more — in fact the last thing I think I’ll be able to play is Indian. Because if they want someone, they want someone who looks traditionally Indian, now my mannerisms and all aren’t traditionally Indian so I think I’m okay in terms of typecast. In acting school, funnily enough, they’ve told me I do need to work on softening my accent a little because I have a very thick, cut, crisp British accent that could also limit some of the things I do,” admits Sid. “Apart from Priyanka and to an extent Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan) there hasn’t really been an Indian actress who’s made it big there. There have been more actors — Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan — who have done projects as opposed to the actresses. Therefore logic would tell you it’s easy for the actor. I guess for girls, everyone likes a good-looking face but if you’re not talented it doesn’t matter how good-looking you are. So I wouldn’t say it’s easy for them. Perhaps there are more opportunities for them…”

Taking baby steps
Sid says that since he’s still in school, he’s not in any rush to sign more films. “I’m still in drama school, that’s my focus. I have just completed the first semester so I’ve got till next September. It’s a full 360 degree approach to it. There’s performance, voice, movement, dance, text analysis because the whole thing is how to act through the body. They’ve literally taught me how to re-sit, how to talk, how to walk, breathe because they think everything is connected. If you don’t breathe from the right place in the diaphragm then you tighten everything in the chest. If you don’t stand properly on your feet, you tighten everything in the hips. If you tighten your hips, you tighten your breath, if you tighten your breath you tighten your neck and then emotion doesn’t flow. So it’s a full round thing. We did the waltz, meringue, jive and tango. It’s a nice holistic approach,” he says.

And if Bollywood were to come calling, would Sid take the opportunity? “No, I’m not interested in Bollywood. I don’t think I’ll be able to do it either. The sensibilities are very different, and I don’t think I have the sensibilities to make it in Bollywood. I don’t speak Hindi so my options are rather limited,” says Sid who admits he hasn’t been keeping track of the latest releases either.

Family matters
Sid, who is currently on a Christmas break from school, flew down to celebrate his father Vijay Mallya’s milestone 60th birthday. The bash in Goa, which lasted for a couple of days, was said to be a lavish affair. However, Sid didn’t come with a gift for his dad. Commenting on what he’s learnt from his Pa, Sid says, “One thing he does really well which perhaps I don’t do as well — he’s quite easy to switch off what other people think. And criticisms or whatever, he’s quite easy to switch away and live his own life whereas I read into things a lot more… You got to love what you do! That’s what he does. He can sit in the office till 5 am because he loves what he does and I didn’t love what I was doing that’s why I left to pursue this different career of mine. I think I’ve found my calling.” Sid does, however, reveal that he finds it easier living in the West, as here he is under constant scrutiny. “I wish people would judge me for who I was as opposed to someone’s son. But I guess being in India that’s something I’m never going to be able to shrug. Therefore in the West I’ve got that opportunity to be my own person a little bit more. It’s always nice.”

From the heart
His personal life has made waves especially a couple of years back when he dated Deepika Padukone. While there have been a couple of link-ups since then, Sid has managed to keep the media glare away. “Yes, there is someone. I’m not going to give names purely because it’s not fair on that person. Then people start prying and hassling that someone. She studies as well. I’m quite happy about my personal life so long as it doesn’t affect someone else. I know if I start giving you names then I’m putting their personal life at risk. As for me, I’m like an open book!” he says. Quiz him if he’s still in touch with Deepika and he says, “Yeah I mean I am in touch with Deepika, like I’m in touch with anyone. I couldn’t be happier for her. It’s great that she’s so successful and long may her continue. I don’t know anything about her Hollywood ventures but I’m sure she will be as great in Hollywood as she’s been here. Best of luck to her!”

Looking ahead
What does the new year hold for Sid? “Hopefully, more of the same. I’m happy that things have started to progress in this career that I’ve chosen. 2014 was a stepping stone, 2015 has gone one higher and hopefully 2016 I can continue on that upward trajectory. There are amazing directors and big people that you always want to work with. But I’m happy to take whatever I can. I just want to continue making good stuff and continuing to grow and continuing to learn. That’s my main goal. This is where my heart is!”

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; September 15, 2015)

Freida Pinto gets chatty on her dream project, new endeavours, Hrithik Roshan and Christian Bale, but is mum on Dev Patel and Sidhartha Mallya
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 5, 2015)


Freida Pinto's days are never normal or routine. Besides her yoga/workouts and some meals, nothing else runs to a pattern. "I sleep strange, I work odd hours and am constantly planning and putting together new ideas. I love the craziness, but I also crave abnormal days, when all I'm doing is lying in bed or soaking in a hot tub and eating sushi," she admits.

However, there's no time to chill now with her dream project, Girl Rising, taking off. The idea is to use moving stories to sensitise people not just to realities but also a need to be a part of the change. "I see this project as a beginning — of awakening, of change, of a movement that will be so inspirational that we will end up having many takers, supporters and volunteers by the time we're ready for phase two," she asserts. Freida admits that they're in talks with key change drivers and policy makers to ensure their ground work bears fruit on a larger scale.

The Prime Minister has aligned the vision with his national campaign, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. Frieda who met Narendra Modi during her last visit to India, says he suggested they launch on August 29, as Raksha Bandhan is a meaningful day. "Like us, he believes in the power of good storytelling," she says.

That trip to the Capital also sparked off talks of a music video and an international single with singer-composer Vishal Dadlani next year. Freida laughs, "You've got a few things right and a few things wrong....Vishal, music, next year, are all correct...The rest I cannot reveal yet."

The actress, who shot to fame with the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, is equally evasive about her personal life. She grabbed headlines when pictures of her pole dancing outside a pub on her birthday, Sidhartha Mallya looking on, leaked online. Bring it up and she says, "There is nothing to comment on really." She also refuses to talk about her break-up with Dev Patel, insisting that she has never spoken about her personal life. "So unfortunately this time is no different," she retorts.

Meanwhile, Trishna, was supposed to release early this year in India but didn't. Buzz is, she was unhappy with the Indian cut and the promotional campaign, which portrayed it as a semi-porn film. "Let's just say that I'm happy the film is on Itunes and Netflix. I'm sure those who would like to watch it have a legal way of accessing it," she maintains.

In Bollywood, she loves the work Richa Chadha is doing. "She's smart, intelligent and incredibly talented. A lethal combo," Freida asserts.

She had once stated that she was unable to find roles in a hero-centric Hindi cinema. But today, she is happy to see films that are not just alternative but also that these women-centric stories are getting such phenomenal backing and setups. "I'm open to and excited about working in Indian films with a global appeal," she asserts.

Has she ever felt inferior or discriminated against, particularly in the film studios? "On the contrary I'm proud to have not only been given the opportunity to break barriers but also the credibility and a recognisable launch to execute it successfully," she says. "Gender bias exists without a doubt, but we also have enough and more women who are flagbearers of standing their own ground and creating a space for themselves, like Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett."

Speaking about opportunities on the basis of skin tone, she points out that you can't be expected to be cast in a film with an all-Japanese cast. One has to be realistic, aware of one's appeal and ability. "But for every three stereotypical roles, there is at least one good, wholesome, satisfying one too," avers Freida, who enjoys the challenge of changing the game. "It makes work interesting everyday, even if some days get frustrating. I've become adept at adopting a positive, fighter like approach."

Freida has some interesting films coming up, like Blunt Force Trauma and Knight Of Cups, also featuring Christian Bale and Natalie Portman. She says, "In the first I play Colt, the female lead. And this may sound weird, but I haven't seen the latter yet. I actually don't always like watching my films. Also, a Terrence Malick film is hard to describe with word limits, it's a detailed experience. Christian was a brilliant co-star, I learnt a lot from observing him."

There's also lot of curiosity about Jungle Book: Origins. "This is the part where I say ...Patience!" she laughs. "I'm excited for Jungle Book as should everyone else. This is going to be epic!"

Her recent Twitter conversation with Hrithik Roshan made news for days until she replied to his tweet. Any chance of seeing them together on screen? "Hrithik's compliment for my film, Desert Dancer, and my performance was heartwarming. Receiving such kind words from an artiste and performer like him inspires me to do better," she says. "I don't know him well so I can't comment on our rapport. But as an artiste, there will always be shared respect and encouragement for each others' work."

She's heartened by the support from Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Parineeti Chopra, Nandita Das and Sushmita Sen and promises that they'll collaborate more. "I've always believed in collaboration as opposed to creating change singularly. Going solo is usually never successful, it is terrible leadership."

Not just that, he also auditioned for a role inTrue Detective, made famous by Matthew McConaughey
Tushar Joshi (DNA; May 20, 2015)


Remembering his audition, Sid says, “I had read up for the part of Priyanka’s character Alex’s lover. I guess I didn’t get the part because they wouldn’t want two Indians opposite each other. But I have to tell you it was the best pilot script I had read. I did a talent show with ABC, which is why I got to read for a lot of parts for their shows. Quantico was by far their best!”

In an interview to After Hrs, PC recently spoke about the criticism she received when she made her debut on American television at a sports event. She received lot of flak on social media for being an Indian on an all-American show and was even labelled an ‘Arab terrorist.’ Is Sid ready for a similar backlash?

He says, “I won’t get nitpicked in the US, neither should she have. She probably was marketed as a Bollywood superstar, but I am not one, so I don’t come with that baggage. Sid Mallya, the name, could also be from anywhere in the world. I don’t traditionally look Indian. In fact, I had read for a Mexican’s part in HBO’s True Detective. They loved my audition, but I didn’t look like a gangster from any angle! A lot of people have said that I look ethnically ambiguous, so that works in my favour. I could play Mexican, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean. Probably the last thing I could play is Indian.” Sid will make his debut on the silver screen in an international production about the quizzers scene in the early ’80s in India.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 22, 2014)

Sidhartha Mallya on incorrect perceptions, a change in name and how he deals with his followers’ obsession with his crotch on his six-episode web show
Sristhi Dixit (DNA; November 6, 2014)


He even produced a series of six webisodes titled #SidSessions where he takes on his critics and answers questions like ‘Do you have dick?’. He didn’t just stop there in the first episode, where he took a light-hearted jab at a media house for putting out a video that focussed on his former girlfriend Deepika Padukone’s cleavage. Given the fact that Sid was linked to her in the past we decided to ask him if she connected with him after watching this episode. Read to know more...

What brought about the idea for the web series?
I initially only intended to make a one-off video for a group of my friends after one of them asked me how I dealt with all the criticism I get on Twitter. We then realised that it was actually quite funny so I decided to make six episodes for the public.

What will we see next on #SidSessions?
More of the same!! A lot of people ask me why I don’t also feature the positive comments and compliments that I get. The reason is because you then become a self-promoter. There are already far to many of those in India, and I was not prepared to become yet another sheep in an already overpopulated flock.

Are you scripting the web series yourself?
Yes, there isn’t really a script though! I just reply off the top of my head to comments made…

Do you fear that the popularity of your web series will compartmentalise you as a YouTuber and not an actor?
No, because I don’t intend to do much more unscripted stuff in the future. This is all a bit of fun, but my next project will definitely be in the scripted variety.

Apart from what we see in the first episode of #SidSessions, how do you deal with nasty criticism in life?
Ignore it, laugh at it, and give it back!!

Do you think some people on Twitter are obsessed with your crotch? You took on three questions pertaining to that area!
That’s just the start….wait till the next few episodes!

Does the way people perceive you (as a rich spoiled brat) bother you?
Nope. That unfortunately is a perception created by the media. Those who really know me will tell you that I am exactly the opposite.

Why did you register yourself as ‘Sid’ Mallya in the Screen Actors Guild?
Because I have grown up my whole life in England being called Sid by friends, family, teachers, etc. A lot of people think I have changed my name, but all I have done is take the abbreviated form of ‘Sidhartha’, the same was that ‘Will’ is short for ‘William’, ‘Brad’ is short for Bradley, etc.

Why haven’t you tried your luck at Bollywood yet?
I don’t think I fully understand the space, neither do I feel like I can do it complete justice. And to be honest, I don’t think the Indian audiences would relate to me as their on-screen representative that easily either given both the accent and language barrier.

What’s your reaction to being compared to Russell Brand?
Love it. He is another person who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even if it doesn’t sit too well with people.

We liked the bit towards the end of the first episode where you slammed The Times of India for the “cleavage controversy.”
Of course you did, you’re DNA (Laughs)! No, but seriously, it was all meant in jest.

Not many know that you are an ordained priest. Just two questions, why and how?
(Laughs) I saw Joey did it in an episode of Friends. I looked up how to do it, went through the process online and it happened!

MUMBAI MIRROR (October 20, 2014)