Sidharth Malhotra: This is the first time in my career that I’m playing a quintessential hero

margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteWhile most of Sidharth Malhotra’s films have had him playing a dapper dude, his next outing,

Marjaavaan

, sees him in a rugged avatar, full-on Bollywood style. The film, which is an out-and-out massy fare, showcases him as a larger-than-life hero, who is likely to remind the audience of the leading men from 70s, 80s and 90s. In a chat with Bombay Times, the actor spoke about playing the quintessential Bollywood hero, working with another ‘student’ Tara Sutaria, his equation with Karan Johar and more. Excerpts…margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteMarjaavaan is a typical masala movie, where you are doling out seeti-maar dialogues and fighting goons in filmi style. In today’s time, when films and characters are all about being real, you took this turn to play a typical hero?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteIt feels great to play a hero who is so powerful. Those who dream of becoming an actor, often envision themselves doing larger-than-life heroic things on the screen. In my seven-year career, this is the first time that I am playing a quintessential hero, and that’s what attracted me to this film. Through this movie, we want to present a very intense, action love story, with flavours of the 70s and 80s. I was born in the mid-80s and grew up watching 90s cinema. This was my opportunity to live in that era. Milap (Zaveri, director) is convinced that there’s an audience for this kind of cinema. I think in the South, they make this kind of cinema very well and even blend in social messages and relevant issues. Here, fewer filmmakers explore this genre.margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteYou said that you are a fan of the Hindi films of the 80s and 90s. Which actors have you drawn inspiration from?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteWhile growing up, I had a cassette of Hum (1991) at home. I loved Amitabh Bachchan’s style. The way he would come on the screen, ruffle his hair which had a white streak, and scream ‘Bhaktaaaaawaaaaar’… I would love it. I was a kid back then, and for a long time, I thought ‘Bhaktawar’ is an abuse. I would scream it out loud just like Bachchan saab did. My parents would laugh at that. In this film, we have drawn references from Amitabh Bachchan of that era, Sunny Deol from Ghatak and Ghayal and Sanjay Dutt from his films from the 90s.margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteWhile actors of the earlier generation were accepted in larger-than-life roles, today, actors opt to play characters that the audience can relate to. Do you think they will be able to accept you in this avatar?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteWell, the senior actors have a huge body of work, but I am sure they too had their firsts. It is all about taking the initiative. I am in that zone, where they were some years ago. I worked hard to get that rugged look, for which I had to gain weight and grow my hair. We also worked on the character’s style and to give him a grunge vibe, I wore a bandana and a jacket. Even though I don’t smoke in the film, you will see a matchstick in my mouth. I have taken the plunge, so now, let’s see what the audience thinks. If the audience likes me, I would like to do more such films.margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteThe film reunites you with your Ek Villain (2014) co-star Riteish Deshmukh. This time around, too, you are pitted against each other. He plays a dwarf in the film; how did shooting for scenes with him pan out?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteWe have used chroma effect to do these scenes. While shooting, Riteish would stand, or sometimes sit on his knees for the scenes. The latter was easier because when he stood up, I had to maintain my eye level and say my dialogues looking at him waist down (laughs!).margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteYou started your career with Student of the Year (2012) directed by Karan Johar, while Tara Sutaria starred in the second film of the franchise, Student of the Year 2 directed by Punit Malhotra. How was it working with a ‘student’ from a different batch?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteI met Tara for the first time at a Diwali party, which was much before we started shooting for Marjaavaan. I remember asking her whether the campus of Saint Teresa college (from Student Of The Year) has become bigger and cooler? Later on, we realised that we are neighbours. I was very excited to know that she’s a trained singer. In this film, however, she plays a girl who is speech impaired. margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteHow is your equation with your mentor, Karan Johar today? There were rumours of a fallout between the two of you. Is there any truth to it?margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;background:whiteNo, there’s no truth to it. I have immense respect for Karan Johar. The production house has given me everything. In fact, Shershaah is being produced by them. It’s a project that I took to them, and they really liked it. It’s exciting to work with them again. We just shot in Kargil for 50 days and are almost done with the shoot. About our equation, we all have matured and branched out, and that’s a natural progression. This will happen in the future as well because we all have to find our own path. Eventually, it is my journey. With Karan, it’s more like a friendship now. Whenever I meet him, it is like meeting a senior person from the industry.