Sid Wakes Up

Then he gives what sounds like a practised monologue to FAQs on Striker — he raves about director Chandan Arora,the production team,his research on Malwani where the story is based and the protagonist Suryakant. Striker is the story of an underprivileged boy for whom playing carrom equals happiness. It talks about Suryakant’s disappointments and failures and how he sits on the fence of crime during this journey.

While Siddharth considers Surya’s journey epic,the actor’s personal voyage has been no less interesting. Though he wanted to be part of the film industry from a very young age,he ventured into the field only after he postgraduated with a top rank from SP Jain College of Management,Mumbai. He then rejected corporate offers to assist filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

Despite the grind,Siddharth did not limit himself to acting. He has been a playback singer as well as screenwriter for films in the South. In Striker,he has produced the music,bringing together a range of music directors,including Vishal Bhardwaj,Amit Trivedi and Yuvan Shankar Raja,for an ensemble soundtrack. He is also singing in Hindi. In between sipping on a drink,he says,“Chandan wanted me to sing Amit’s track Bombay Bombay. He wanted a raw,edgy voice for it.”

As he takes leaves,Siddharth promises that this time around,he is here to stay. “Since I am already a star in the South,the least I can do for my fans is not become an also-ran in Bollywood,” he says. “I am buying a house in Bandra so that I can be accessible to filmmakers. The biggest reason stopping me from working here was me.”