Siddhant Issar plays the character of Tarakasur in the show Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav. It is currently airing on Colors TV. The son of veteran actor Puneet Issar is proud of his father’s legacy but wants to carve a niche of his own. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actor for an exclusive chat.
Opening up about himself, Siddhant shares, “I am born and brought up in Mumbai. My father (Puneet) is a part of this industry. After completing my education, I went for NDA selection. After that I made a switch to acting as I decided to pursue acting as a profession. I started with theatre. Now, I have landed this role. I have been doing Broadway depictions of mythological shows. I have done the Ramayana and Mahabharata on stage. Now my journey with television has begun.”
Despite being the son of a well respected actor, Siddhant doesn’t consider himself as an ‘insider’. “I wish I was an insider and everything was easy for me. My father also worked on a certain kind of merit. He belongs to a certain era. People who gave him a break, Manmohan Desai, BR Chopra and Ramanand Sagar, are not around anymore. So, there is not a single office I could go and knock at their doors saying, ‘Hello uncle mujhe role de do’. JP Dutta has not had a successful film in the last 20 years. Therefore, I couldn’t go to anyone with whom my father worked as his son and ask for work. I had to find my own way, that's how it’s been,” he avers.
Elaborating further, he says, “I will give you an example of nepotism from Indian mythology. Prabhu Shree Ram was King Dashrath's son. He became a king later on. This can't be called nepotism. He was sent to exile for14 years, lead his life in the jungles and went back to become Raja Ram. Thus the industry also works like this. Somebody will be talented while some won't. You can't pick up any story and tell me somebody was picked up and made a king. Mostly, a king's child became a king. A warrior's child turned to become a warrior. Nepotism only comes into picture when there is lack of talent. Opportunities should be given to everyone that also we learn from Mahabharata. It didn't give Karan equal opportunity.”
One wonders if it was inherited quality forcing him to come to the glitzy world. “No its not so. I always wanted be away from the limelight. After NDA, I weighed the pros and cons of certain things here as I have seen so much in this industry since my childhood. I have seen my grandfather and father working in this industry so I couldn't picture my self attending a 9 to 5 job desk job. All this happened in a very organic way,” he explains.
Siddhant then talks about Tarakasur. “I’m very happy that I got to be a part of this show. Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav is running on top in the number game… being fifth in number. The character is the turning point of the show. It’s the main negative lead coming in. It’s going to be a good chance for me,” he gushes.
When asked if negativity sells, he opines, “More than negativity sells as we feel, I feel people like to see good ruling over evil. To only see the worth of light you have to confront the darkness. It’s a very simple theory. Through my part in portraying darkness so very effectively, the good gets highlighted. That’s my role in this show.”
He adds, “For the next eight months I’m locked with this show. Along with this, I’m doing my Broadway shows. I’ll continue doing it by taking a few days off and performing. I don't see myself signing anything else. September first week I have Jai Shree Ram Ramayana shows lined up. I'm performing on Janmashtami. I'm playing Krishna over there. I perform all over Mumbai, Delhi and all over India.”
On a parting note, he reveals his film aspirations. “I have to wait for the result of this show. With the kind of appreciation I receive, chances will come my way. So, I’m waiting for that now,” Siddhant concludes.
