On a scorching Thursday afternoon Siddharth Malhotra is busy meeting with property brokers and agents. It has been more than a year since the release of Student Of The Year and five years since he moved to Mumbai from Delhi. But Siddharth is yet to find his dream home. “I never had to struggle to find a perfect debut film, I was plain lucky. However, I can’t say the same about finding a house for myself in Mumbai. The property rates are sky high and so it’s taking a lot of time for me to zero in on my dream home,” says Siddharth.
The actor insists that he’d never seek monetary help from his friends. “I truly believe that actors like Akshay Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan who don’t hail from a film family, followed the mantra of slow and steady. I might be two films old but I’m extremely focused on my career and my goal,” he says. But then how does a “very focused” actor get written about more about his affairs and relationships? “I take those talks in my stride,’ he says with a smile. “At my age, I’m allowed to go out on dates and catch up with friends. I’ve never disclosed the names of the girls I go out with, I never will. Whatever is being circulated by the media is their own perception.”
So, the news about his close equation with Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor is a figment of someone’s imagination? “Not completely,” pat comes the reply. “Both Alia and Shraddha are attractive girls. I’m very fond of them and we bond well. Our off-screen chemistry helps us work better on screen. During the making of SOTY I did hang out with Alia. The same way Shraddha and I spent time during the making of Ek Villain. So, there is a certain connection but it’s incorrect to read too much into it,” he adds.
Clearly, Siddharth has mastered the art of fielding questions. Being groomed by Karan Johar, that’s perhaps a given. “I’m groomed by Karan as he is my mentor. But I have my own personality. The idea isn’t really to be politically correct but it might end up sounding like one,” he says with a laugh.
A month ago, Siddharth made a hush-hush exit from Karan’s suburban home after a party. Back then, the paparazzi went into a frenzy when he rammed his uber cool bike into a planter. Is that in complete contrast to his otherwise well-behaved image? “I find the paparazzi culture in India a bit aggressive. I agree that we have a Iot to learn from the West but intruding in the personal lives of celebrities has to be the last in that list. It was a small party at Karan’s house. I was the first to leave the party at 2 am. If I was high, you think I would’ve taken the risk to ride back home all by myself? Being a responsible citizen, I abide by the rules. I’m an actor and I value all the love and attention that is being bestowed on me. I rather people talk about my work, what I do in my personal space shouldn’t be of any interest to anyone. I think the media is overdoing its paparazzi culture by popping out of our balconies and on the streets. I wish they would respect our privacy and not make a mockery out of it.”
Right now, Sid’s riding high on the good reports about his upcoming film Ek Villain — this is his first anti-hero film. “As a kid, I remember watching SRK’s Darr and Baazigar. Ek Villain is a completely different film compared to them, but I did derive my inspiration from those films.” After SOTY, Siddharth hasn’t been offered a role in Dharma. Does that bother him? “Hasee Toh Phasee was totally handled by Phantom films and was backed by Dharma. Yes, its about time that Karan offers me a good role. I think I miss being in a Karan Johar film.”
