Sidharth Sagar: I have been through the most difficult phase in my life, dealing with substance abuse, family issues and work pressure

After two turbulent years, Sidharth Sagar is finally happy that he has got a second chance in life. From battling substance abuse to dealing with strained family ties, the comedian has been through it all over the past couple of years.
Today, Sidharth claims to have not only overcome his drug addiction, but he has made a comeback on the career front, too.The actor, popularly known as TV’s Selfie Mausi, is yet to mend ties with his family — it’s been two months since he contacted his mother — but he believes that the worst is over. BT caught up with Sidharth to know if it was a case of too much too soon for him. He says, “My problem is not connected with success, it’s more on the emotional level. I have been through the most difficult phase in my life, dealing with work pressure, substance abuse and family issues. However, I am clean now and back to work.”
Sidharth recalls how life spiralled out of control after he became addicted to drugs. He says, “I am not an expressive person. The first time I tried drugs, it felt as if a huge burden was off my chest and I could talk about everything freely. That’s how I became addicted to it. After three months, I realised that it was affecting my career, and it also left me emotionally and physically weak. I would cry and beg God to get me out of it. Finally, I confided in my mother and sought her help. She immediately sent me to a rehab and I came out clean after two months. However, my mom had lost her trust in me. She continued to suspect me, though I told her that I am willing to go in for a blood test. The way my family behaved was very hurtful — they would often taunt me, saying that they had made a mistake by taking me out of the rehab. That’s the worst thing to do to an addict, who has resumed normal life. Around the same time, I realised that my mother had put me on medicines for bipolar disorder. I was convinced that I was suffering from it, but my friends asked me to stop the medication, saying that I had no symptoms.”
The actor says that matters turned uglier when his mom sent him to the rehab twice again. He elaborates, “She moved me from an expensive rehab to a cheaper one. I pleaded with her to not shift me, but I was shocked to hear her talk about money; I have never thought twice about spending money on my family, I gave them whatever they asked for. My mother was a nominee in every property I bought. I had always put her before everything else, and she was the person I loved the most.”
The actor adds, “Soon, I started having fights with my parents over money and property. My money would go missing and I also started noticing discrepancies in property dealings. One fine day, following an altercation, I walked out of my house with just the car keys. For the next two months, I lived in my car. I would go to a friend’s house to take a bath. Slowly, I developed spondylitis, cervical pain, and sleeping disorder. Some days, I would have just Rs 1,000 on me and I had to choose between having dinner and buying fuel for the car, as I needed to run the AC.”
Sidharth says that a reconciliation with his parents is out of question. “Now, the situation has turned sour to such an extent that I can’t think of mending ties with them. If not for money and property, why would they do what they did to me?” he asks.
Tell him how he is the second comedian after Kapil Sharma to face such a low phase professionally and personally, and he replies, “It’s easy for others to pass judgment. Kapil was appreciated till the time he made us laugh. We need to understand that he could have trouble, too, we don’t know what he is going through. In fact, most comedians have had a rather disturbed personal life. For us, laughter is a suppressed feeling; most of us are not expressive in real life.”
While he may not be on talking terms with his parents, Sidharth is back with his sweetheart Subuhi Joshi, his co-actor in 'Comedy Classes'. He says, “We had split because of family issues. Subuhi contacted me when I stepped out of rehab and told me that she just wanted to see me once, to see if I was fine. That’s how we got back together. She takes care of me now, everything is finally going right in my life.”
And it’s not just his love life. After a long struggle, his career is in revival mode, too. Sidharth, who is back in action with 'Comedy Circus', says, “I have had a long association with the show’s producer, Vipul D Shah. I started working with his team when I was just 13 years old. He has been a father figure to me and he told me that I should get back with a bang. It felt great to get back to shoot and I became so emotional that I cried just a few seconds before going on stage. I feel fortunate to have got a second chance in life.”
Alka Sagar (Sidharth's mother): I will not meet my son even if he wants to
While Sidharth has accused his family of usurping his money and property, his mother, Alka Sagar refutes the allegation. Also, she says that his drug addiction lasted three years, and not three months, as claimed by him.
“We dealt with his substance abuse for three years. Imagine living with a drug addict for so long; I was by his side throughout. He would fight with me whenever I questioned him and walk out of the house. At one point, I felt so helpless that I called his father (Sirish Kumar), who was working in Delhi, to come and stay with us. He, too, was shocked to see the level of Sidharth’s addiction. He claimed to have come out clean after a month-long stint in a rehab, but is it possible for someone to overcome a three-year addiction in just a month? Even after leaving rehab, he continued staying out at nights. He even mortgaged my jewellery to indulge in his vices. Could I have left him in that condition? I had no choice but to put him in a rehab again.”
Talking about discrepancies in money and property dealings, Alka says, “Sidharth is a compulsive liar. He wasn’t earning for three years, as he wasn’t working. Did he feed us then? In fact, my husband had to return to his job in Delhi; we even sold our Malad home to repay his loans and bear his medical expenses. He is a nominee for all our properties, as he is our only child. Why would we need his money?”
She adds, “He keeps saying that his father and I are separated, but that’s not true. We are very much together. I have been taught to nurture life-long relationships. Maybe, in his world, a colleague is looked upon as a girlfriend and boyfriend, but not in mine.”
Alka says that she has made peace with the fact that her son doesn’t want any reconciliation. She says, “I am grateful to him for not wanting to talk to us. I will not meet him even if he wants to. All I can say that I feel helpless. I pray that he lives up to his promises and I wish him the best.”