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Actor Siddharth is someone who doesn’t shy away from speaking his mind. While there have been cases where his words have become controversial, and a topic of discussion in many a news cycle, there is never been a time when Siddharth has shied away from answering a question or telling what is in his mind. In the recently held Hyderabad Literary Festival, Siddharth spoke to accomplished singer and writer Vidya Rao, the mother of his wife and actor Aditi Rao Hydari, as they discussed various aspects of cinema and literature. Interestingly, one of their topics went on a tangent that explored the concept of toxic masculinity. He also impressed upon the fact that he intentionally veered away from playing such characters on screen.
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However, Siddharth candidly admitted that rejecting such roles also meant not being able to climb up the ladder of success as a commercial film hero. “I used to get scripts where I’m slapping women, doing item songs, pinching somebody’s navel, telling a woman what she should do, where she should go, etc… I rejected them outright. Of course, I might be a far bigger movie star today if I was differently wired. I instinctively did what I liked,” said Siddharth, who also pointed out that he preferred people understanding his intent. “Today, people tell me I was respectful to women, I was good to parents, I was good with kids, and I looked cute. Their kids can watch my films from 15 years ago. It is such a gratifying feeling.”
Siddharth also explained that it might have happened organically, but it was almost a lone battle. “This feeling is not something that can be measured in crores. Everyone around me was trying to be aggressive and macho. When many were all ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ (men don’t feel pain) kind of thing, and I was happy to cry on screen.” In over 20 years as an actor, Siddharth has tried to keep away from the typical commercial potboilers, and starred in films that explored his versatility, and pushed the boundaries of a conventional hero. His recent production, Chiththa, was one such example where the story took prominence, and for the most part, Siddharth took a backseat.
The actor, who was recently seen in the Tamil romance film, Miss You, is currently awaiting the release of the Test, which also features Nayanthara and Madhavan in lead roles. He also plays a prominent part in Indian 3, which is set to be the next film of director Shankar, who recently helmed the Ram Charan film, Game Changer.
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