Sidharth Malhotra On Thriving In The Big League

On thriving in the big league, and his performance of the year in Amazon Prime Video’s Shershaah

- Ananya Swaroop

My earliest memory of Sidharth Malhotra is of him getting down from a bike in Student Of The Year, while Kukkad Kamaal Da plays in the background. He plays this young, shy, and adorably handsome small-town boy entering the world of the ‘Ambanis’ in his debut film. The actor, who started working as a trainee assistant director to Karan Johar for his 2010 film My Name Is Khan, made a notable debut in SOTY, and became a bankable name in no time. A decade later, here he still is, winning hearts with his performances, and wowing the audience with his diverse choice of stories.

Malhotra has been away from the set life for some time, and the announcement of his war film, Shershaah, came as a surprise for his fans. The audience loves to see him play roles that are on the softer side, but they were excited to see how the actor steps into the shoes of Captain Vikram Batra, and tells one of the most iconic war stories of India. It is not like Malhotra hasn’t essayed gritty characters on screen before. His roles in films like Marjaavaan, Aiyaary, A Gentleman, and Ek Villain were quite a treat to watch, but seeing him essay the role of a martyr, that too in the genre that everyone loves, is exciting. The music of the film is doing really well too, and everyone who has watched the film is in favour of Malhotra’s performance. Shershaah is currently the talk of the town, and I was eager to know Malhotra’s side of the story — the training, the shooting, and the pros and cons of doing a war film.

Patriotic films are always loved by the audience, so that could be one reason why an actor would want to be a part of it. But apart from that, what made you say yes to this film?