Sidharth Malhotra: Love Can Wait

His good looks were hard to ignore even when he roughed it out as an assistant director during My Name Is Khan.

It was his handsome demeanour and his passion for the craft that got him a picture-perfect launch with mentor Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. Then on he's had a sundry string of films with Ek Villain and Kapoor & Sons adding to his success score and Baar Baar Dekho, A Gentleman and Aiyaary detracting from it. Right now, Jabariya Jodi has him shed his suave avatar only to revel in Bihari bonhomie. He’s betraying a certain abandonment in his personal life too. After a much publicised heartbreak, the diffident Sidharth Malhotra says he’d rather invest in films now even though rumours suggest otherwise. The grapevine is linking him with Kiara Advani and Tara Sutaria. Love, he however insists, has taken a backseat. Right now, he’s happy being in the driver’s seat steering his career towards the expressway once again… We catch up with him on the eve of the release of Jabariya Jodi and this is what he has to say...

What was the takeaway from Jabariya Jodi?

The character Abhay Singh, a Patna lad, was completely new for me. Mujhe bahut mazaa aaya ise karne mein. Also, I was an assistant director for a few years before Student Of The Year. So I realise the importance of background music, dubbing, editing and how certain techniques can make your film better by at least 20-30 per cent. Of course, 80 per cent is what you shoot.

There’s an ease that you seem to share with Parineeti Chopra...

Parineeti and I bond well off-screen. That’s an advantage. When you work with someone again (after Hasee Toh Phasee), you don’t have to waste time in breaking ice. There’s a comfort level. You can improvise without having to ask should I hold you like this or should I say this line. Pari’s a fabulous actor. We enjoyed working in Jabariya Jodi.