At 6ft-plus with a yummy body and a dishy smile, Sidharth Malhotra seems like a good fit for Bollywood. But he doesn’t want to get by on his looks. “It’s so superficial,” he says. The 29-year-old was dressed in a green tee, which hugged him in all the right places, and slouchy jeans when t2 dropped in to meet him at Ekta Kapoor’s Juhu place to speak about Mohit Suri’s June 27 release Ek Villain and more. Over grilled chicken salad he spoke about why the film is a risk. And about, well, dating.

Is Ek Villain an attempt to change your image?

Absolutely. I want to surprise people. When people look at someone, they make assumptions about the person. I want to break away from those assumptions. Post-Student Of The Year, it really bothered me that people thought that I couldn’t do certain kinds of films. If someone tells me I can’t do something, I just have to (laughs).
When I was reading the script, I thought this was my one chance at doing something different. It was scary because it has angst, action and the character is subdued. Forget doing a character with grey shades; my character in Ek Villain is as black as black can be. I decided to go with the film to show that I am not limited to a particular kind of role.
And, you don’t want to be known just as a pretty face.

(Laughs) Exactly. I want to go beyond it. If you look at Hollywood, their actors are constantly experimenting and evolving. Most of them don’t stick to one genre. I think, in India we are obsessed with how people look and it’s so superficial.

Movies are also dictated by commerce. Why take the risk so early in your career?

Well, these are still early days in my career and there is no mould for me to break. I signed this film soon after Student Of The Year and before I started Hasee Toh Phasee. I don’t have that much to lose, so I decided to go for it. (Laughs) My only concern was whether I’d be able to do justice to the film, which is totally in Mohit’s (Suri, director) space… it’s edgy and intense. I keep joking that in the film most moments happen before crying, after crying or while crying. (Laughs) There are no light moments in the film.

How do you choose films?

How I pick films in the future will depend on how this one pans out. If it goes well and we are partying on the Sunday after the release, I’ll have the confidence to take risks. So far there has only been an attempt at doing something fresh. When I go on the set, I want to be scared because I am in uncharted territory.

To a more important subject, your love life....

(Laughs) I am still learning that this is a part and parcel of my profession. People just get excited and put two and two together to make five!
So, you haven’t been out on a series of dates over the last four-five months?
I have been on dates. I am going out and meeting new people. I like to keep my personal life as no-fuss as possible because that’s the kind of person I am. I really think Hasee Toh Phasee changed something… people seem to be a lot more interested in my personal life now.

Have you found anyone special?

Not really. I am not in a relationship. But I am out there looking…

What kind of a girl are you looking for?

I don’t know… I don’t have a ‘type’. As long as it’s someone who doesn’t have an agenda. I am looking for an honest relationship where we are together only because we enjoy each other’s company. There are interesting girls in all walks of life.

Your contemporaries are very secretive about their love lives. Would you follow their lead?

If and when I am in a committed relationship, I would be open about it. I haven’t been in a serious relationship since I became an actor but I would like to think that I would be okay with being open about it.

Karishma Upadhyay

Is Sidharth Malhotra your dream date? Tell t2@abp.in

The B-town hottie doesn’t hesitate to speak about his dream women and female fans. And he did just that with t2 on Friday at Hotel Hindusthan International’s Presidential Suite.

How was it working without Karan Johar and for Balaji Motion Pictures?

Interestingly, the previous film (Hasee Toh Phasee) that I did was backed by Dharma Productions but Phantom Films handled the production, so it was an interesting experience. I realise how pampered we were at Dharma Productions. My team and I realise that we have to adapt to every production we work with. Balaji Motion Pictures is known for this genre –– this thriller kind of space, which has worked for me. Had the film come with a new director, maybe I wouldn’t have taken it up at this phase (of my career). It would have become an experimental thing. Mohit (Suri) knows what he is doing. It’s his space.

Who is your competition in Bollywood?

Everybody young. It is tough to mention one name. This generation has seen competition right from the beginning. We wouldn’t wish bad... upon anybody who does well. When Varun (Dhawan), Arjun (Kapoor) and I recently met up, we called Arjun ‘sir’ as 2 States has done well. We laughed about it. It is a healthy competition. One simply has to work hard to do well (smiles). If I can pull off this negative character in Ek Villain, it would open up more avenues and give me an edge over my competition.

Who is the woman of your dreams?

There are so many attractive women in Hollywood and Bollywood. I was a big fan of Kareena Kapoor and Kajol when I was growing up because they have personality and are very attractive. Somebody who has an interesting personality and has a lot to offer to a conversation would be an ideal woman.

How do you handle female adulation?

It’s flattering. It’s exciting. I feel lucky at times. They appreciate and accept me for what I am doing. I guess this is only the beginning and this will become bigger and better and shouldn’t stop!

Have you ever been stalked?

I have not been stalked but at my house in Delhi, there were three-four girls who came on my birthday with a cake, which they had baked, and flowers. They had coffee and tea at my place. My mom called and said that my friends had come. My parents are not used to it. That was interesting because my mom was most excited and asked, ‘Achha yeh fans hain?” It is bad that we can’t always meet everybody.

When will you marry?

(Grins) After a while… even my mom is not pressuring me. It is too early. There is a lot more to experience. I am happy being single.

Are you dating Brazilian model Izabelle Leite?

These are conjectures and not true. Yes, we were out for a night. It is sad that actors can’t casually go out with somebody. There are only a few places in Mumbai where actors can hang out but now the paparazzi have come to know about those places (grins).

What’s your workout regimen and diet?

I work out four-five times a week. There is no fixed time… either in the morning or in the evening. I do minimum 45 minutes of weightlifting or at times only cardio. I listen to my body. When I am tired, I reduce the duration. My body tells me how far I can go. It also keeps changing according to the films I do.

One thing that you can’t stay away from?

Dark chocolate! I would rather run an extra hour on the treadmill than not have it.

QUICK sid

On iPod: Kabira from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Last film you watched: 2 States

Last holiday: I was in New York on my own for 10 days, then I went to the West Coast and Las Vegas. After three years I went somewhere and not on work. You can do a lot of things in New York. You can also do nothing at all. It has got energy

On my bedside: iPod, a bottle of water and scripts

football fanatic

“Post-release, I’ll definitely watch all the matches,” said Sidharth. In school, the actor played both football and rugby. “Unlike schools in Mumbai, we had proper fields in Delhi.”

Position: Goalkeeper. That was my position. I was the tallest and with really long hands. I could cover the whole goalpost! In big matches, I was the substitute goalie.

Indian football: There is so much to do. It needs more support, money and infrastructure.

Messi: I heard he has been throwing up. He better take care of his health!

Maradona: Legend. The Hand of God.

Ronaldo: He is the fittest and fastest. His skill levels are off the charts.

All-time favourite: Ronaldo. I was watching a show on Discovery where they compared his skills and agility to other sportsmen and he is in a league of his own.

Favourite new player: Neymar.

Have you seen a World Cup match live? I have never had the opportunity before. I wish I could go to Brazil because I am sure the atmosphere would be crazy.

Craziest thing you’ve done to watch a match? When we were in college, I would lie about going to my friend’s place to study. His grandmom had a small TV in her room, which we’d move to his room to watch matches.

A football moment you’ll always remember? The 2006 Italy-France World Cup final when Zidane headbutted Materazzi. It was the craziest thing. At that point we didn’t understand what had happened and later newspapers reported that words had been exchanged between the two before the headbutting. We were all rooting for Zidane. You need guts to do something like that. It was cool!

Ratnalekha Mazumdar

Pictures: Rashbehari Das