You have been around for 22 years, and you still look 22. What is the secret of your agelessness?
Writers and directors hold the key to giving actors good work. Sometimes it takes decades for an actor to impress them. I guess I’m lucky I look the way I do, so that when the day comes that they think of me, I still look like and hopefully have the ability to be the actor they want. I need to keep the stock fresh for as long as I can, I suppose!
Are you happy with your journey as an actor so far? Which of your films do you consider gamechangers in your career?
I love cinema. I think I’m good at my work here. I get paid to do my work. I’d say I’ve never worked a day in my life because I do what I love. As an actor, I am still learning every day and hopefully will continue to do so. Every producer who has invested money and passion in me is a game-changer in their own way in my life.
In spite of a success like Rang De Basanti, why didn’t you pursue a career in Hindi cinema?
I’ve only dreamt of being in a cinema till I die. It has never been restricted by language or region, or even nationality. Wherever I get a call or bulaava that respects my talent and believes in me, I have gone for it without fear. I am fortunate to receive love across languages. I have dubbed for myself in many languages, and I strive to speak each language like a native.
That is quite an immersive performance in 3BHK, how were you so sure you could pull off your character’s age shifts from the teens to the 30?
Playing a character from teenage to middle age was too exciting to think twice about. I find it as specific to play a character older than my age as I do one that is younger. I was sure my writer-director, Sri Ganesh, had written a very unique person and that he would guide me to bring him to life. I’m just happy he thought I could pull off the different ages of Prabhu. The validation from the audience, critics, and my peers has been overwhelming.
How easy/tough was it playing the loser who won’t give up?
Prabhu is like all of us. He faces setbacks and fails a lot. I only wanted to make sure that no matter how many times he loses in the film, he is never seen as a “loser”. We wanted to show that a regular boy next door who never gives up and who dares to re-engineer his path can be a hero in his life. I loved the character arc and the common man heroism he represents through his life story.
Siddharth, you were again superb as an unheroic character in Chittha recently. Was that character tougher to play than Prabhu? At this stage of your career, what do you look for in your scripts? What’s the trigger to say yes?
Every character is as difficult because they have to be removed from who I am in real life, and I don’t want to be myself on screen. I’d like to look and feel like what the writer created and the director helped bring out of me. I still select roles that speak to me and that give me a chance to do something different each time. Not all projects give the same experience, though. Chittha and 3BHK both taught me many different things and challenged me in their own way.
What do we see you in next?
I’m currently filming a very special project with Netflix in Hindi. We are also preparing to start my next Tamil Home Production with Etaki Entertainment after Chittha. We are attempting something completely new in terms of vision, scale, and star cast. I will also be announcing a very exciting new journey in my life as an artist his coming month.
Finally, what is it like being married to the lovely Aditi Rao Hydari?
Aditi is the answer to the many prayers nurtured by my family and me. She is my best friend, my most loyal admirer, and my most practical critic. She is also a superlative artist, and I learn from her every day.
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