It’s not often that one takes a sabbatical and returns with enough work to last a year. But, that’s what actor Siddharth is going to do for the next 12 months.
After breaking even with his production Jil Jung Juk and tasting commercial success with Aranmanai 2 , the actor has now signed up for four projects; in the process, he also makes his debut in Malayalam with none other than Dileep. The actor has been making a slew of announcements on Twitter, and the last of them is to be revealed on June 10.
“I desperately needed a break after a really tiring but fruitful couple of years,” begins Siddharth. “I always spaced out my films because I was choosy about content and ‘me time’. I continue to be choosy about content, but decided to see what it would be like to do simultaneous projects,” he says.
After his break, where Siddharth reconnected with family and travelled across the world, especially to places where no one recognised him, he’s returned with “batteries charged”. “For possibly the first time, I know my schedule for a whole year. I’m going to be working every day for the next 11 months. This way, I get to pick a nice bouquet of films to satisfy me creatively and also excite the audience. On a personal level, it makes you feel wanted,” he says.
Siddharth will first start work on Saithaan Ka Bachha , by Karthik Krish — “It’s a genre I’ve not explored yet; a nice masala film. I like the way Karthik writes humour. I loved his Kappal and this script had me laughing.”
Next up is his trilingual (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) venture. Then comes a film with director Sasi, co-starring G.V. Prakash Kumar. “I was supposed to work with Sasi a long while ago. I like his style of filmmaking. This one’s a classic emotional script, and I loved the casting. Sasi’s very genuine, and it’ll be nice to team up with Prakash, who’s previously composed for my film,” says the actor. The film will also see him return to the family drama space, something like Bommarillu .
Finally, there’s the Malayalam film directed by ad filmmaker Rathish Ambat. “It’s a language I’ve been hearing for long and I’m a huge fan of Malayalam movies. The audience there is known to be discerning, and the filmmakers have made a name for high-quality cinema. I’m excited to work there. I’ll be dubbing for myself, and am banking on my ability to pick up languages fast,” smiles Siddharth. For the record, in 2005, he learnt Telugu in two straight weeks.
These films will see Siddharth jump among film sets, something he has never done before. “But the looks and personalities of the characters are different, so that’ll be fun. I’m not too worried about the dialogues because I have a pretty decent memory,” he laughs.
All that is fine, but it is difficult to imagine Siddharth acting in a film titled Saithaan Ka Bachha . “Oh no! I loved the title. Even at home, amma told me it was such a fun title. And then, gently I told her, ‘Amma, you do understand they’re talking about you’!”
Meet the producer
This year will also see Siddharth focus on production. Four scripts are in the pre-production stage. “We want to make more indie films at the right budget. Indie films are fiercely independent and you can like them or hate them, but can’t ignore them. But, one must cost the film correctly. Everyone who invested in Jil Jung Juk is safe. In fact, I’m working with the same team on another script. The idea is to get the budget right, so that even if it is a niche film, it will never lose money. It worked for us. For instance, ‘Shoot the Kuruvi’ has gone crazily viral. We have 7 million hits on YouTube. We’re going to launch young talents who want to shake things up. These films might not have the chutzpah of Jil… but each will be made by people who question status quo.”
