The Outside View

Sidharth Malhotra Began His Career As The Typical Non-Bollywood Family Outsider, But His Ascent In The Popularity Charts Has Been Swift, And The Real Work Begins Now. The Actor Tells Shweta Mehta Sen About Coming Up The Hard Way, Learning The Importance Of Building Friendships In The Industry And Why, Hereon, Only Good Performances Will Keep His Career Afloat.

- Shweta Mehta Sen

As much as Sidharth Malhotra tries to play things down or convince you that he hasn’t made it in Bollywood, you’re going to assume he’s just being modest.

I know that this is a debate that may follow — the fact that “making it” is a relative term; also that, unfortunately, it has less to do with one’s acting chops than it should. This is not to say he’s a bad actor, but I, for one, think that Malhotra has to make further strides in that department.

On the one hand, you’ve got to give it to the guy. In his five years in the industry, he’s done nine films, has two more up for release and a few others in the pipeline. For an “outsider” to enjoy this kind of success in the industry — especially when his films so far haven’t exactly been moneyspinners — must mean that Malhotra’s doing something right. But on the other hand, are any of his films memorable, or distinct? Malhotra’s generation has a bunch of actors who are unique in their own ways — Varun Dhawan has great comic timing and a raw, mass appeal that works for him; Ranveer Singh is as charismatic and energetic in the flesh as he’s magnetic on celluloid; Ayushmann Khurrana is another darling of the masses; Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor have both, from time to time, delivered phenomenal performances that stop them from being written off every time a film tanks. With Malhotra, though, can you think of a reason why film-makers would write a role with him specifically in mind? What does he bring to the table that others can’t? What’s his USP?