Sidharth Malhotra will soon be seen alongside Rakul Preet Singh in Thank God. The film also stars Ajay Devgn and is directed by Indra Kumar. It will release on October 25. The Free Press Journal caught up with the actor for an exclusive tête-à-tête. Excerpts:
What excited you to do Thank God?
The idea of it excited me a lot. The writers and Induji narrated the script to me for about two odd hours. I was laughing but it also made me think. In the end, I feel satisfied as an actor. It is a complete family and clean comedy film. India is known for spreading the concept of Karma in the West.
Did you experience all those seven qualities or human emotions, mentioned in the film, in real life?
I think anger is something which I relate to. Even my character Ayan Kapoor, who was a middle-class guy and becomes an upper-middle-class person and then experiences his way down in life, has the same frustration and anger while experiencing ups and downs as me. I faced that a lot when I came to Mumbai. My first film never took off and I used to stay at a friend’s place and the cash flow was low. I was bound by my circumstances.
Being a new-age actor, how did you build trust in Indra Kumar, who actively made films during the 1990s?
I think the trust came just with the first narration. I have grown up watching his films — Dil, Beta, Raja, etc. It was just the matter of the right script. He actually narrated a different script before Thank God but we were toying with the idea. When he came with his writers and narrated this film, I was blown away. It has a perfect mix of emotions and family values.
How do you react to the controversy surrounding your film?
I wonder if people would have protested against the film after watching it… Then it would have made more sense… But how can they at this early stage? We have been very sensitive and we as a team are quite confident that people would love it once they watch it. Everything has a reason to it in our film, which is why we released the second trailer of the film. There’s no intention to hurt anybody.
You have been a risk taker with the choices of films you made in the past. How do you see your journey?
After Student of The Year (2012), there was a certain impression about me and actually all three of us (Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt). However, in these last 10 years, we all found our ways. Even Hasee Toh Phasee was an unconventional story. No one expected me to perform in Ek Villain, which was my third film. Box office success also gives a boost as an actor. Perhaps, subconsciously, my process of choosing films has become like that. It is nice to try something new.
Do you believe that Shershaah is your career redefining film?
Shershaah came like a blessing. I had put so much into that it had to work for me. It took around four to five years for the public to see it. It wouldn’t have been possible without someone like Vikram Batra watching us over. His family was passionately involved in its making. The film also gave a validation on my performance. Shershaah is surely an important film in my career.
