At an event for his upcoming release Mission Majnu, actor Sidharth Malhotra went on to state that he feels ‘lucky’ for having had the opportunity to romance ‘so many women onscreen’. Well, it’s no secret that he has been part of some of the most memorable onscreen love stories of recent times. His pairing with actor Alia Bhatt in their debut film Student Of The Year (2012) had everyone rooting for the duo. In the romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Sidharth’s endearing but palpable chemistry with co-star Parineeti Chopra impressed many and it continues to make it in the cinema-related pages. Ek Villain (2014) might have been a gritty action thriller but Guru’s intense romantic dynamic with actor Shraddha Kapoor’s Aisha formed the heart of the film.
But one of the most iconic love stories of the modern era remains Shershaah (2021), where Sidharth shared screen space with actor Kiara Advani, his alleged real-life lady love. The couple played Captain Vikram Batra and his fiancée Dimple Cheema. While it shed light on the sacrifices that the late Indian Army officer made for his country at the Kargil War, the biographical film was largely driven by the unconditional love shared by the protagonists, which left many in awe.
In Mission Manju, he plays an Indian spy, who goes to Pakistan to unearth a confidential nuclear program and in the process, falls in love and marries a blind girl, essayed by actor Rashmika Mandanna. And now, in an exclusive interaction with News18, Sidharth talks about his fascination for love stories.
He shares, “I mean, what’s the point of doing all these things if love doesn’t drive you? If you’re innately passionate, it will trickle down to everything that you do. If a man and a woman are passionate, it will trickle down to every aspect of their lives. If they’re passionate about work, it will seep into their love lives and vice versa.” The actor, who is currently shooting for filmmaker Rohit Shett’s Indian Police Force, adds, “All these heroic characters become more likeable, relatable and human when they go through a dilemma in their personal lives pertaining to what they want to prioritise more.”
Pointing out the differences in the love stories portrayed in Shershaah and Mission Majnu, Sidharth says, “The love story in Shershaah was true. Dimple Cheema and Captain Vikram Batra were people, who lived among us… Dimple is still here with us. In Mission Majnu, the love story is fictionalised.” Talking further about Shershaah, which proved to be a turning point in Sidharth’s career, he remarks, “In Shershaah, Vikram Batra laid his life down for his true love, which is his love for the nation. It was extremely tragic but also inspiring from my perspective when I was playing him. I kept thinking, what kind of dedication one needs to have to go through the sacrifice that he made!”
But he reinstates that the love story in Mission Majnu is an interesting one too and it forms an integral part of the narrative. The 38-year-old explains, “In this film, the love story is greyer and it’s questioned… in the sense, if a spy from India goes to the neighbouring country, who he will sacrifice first – his nation or the new marriage that he has gotten into possibly as a cover up. Those questions come up because of the trust factor. It’s very difficult to trust an espionage character, which lends itself to a very interesting love story and an interesting end to that love story.”
Speaking of love, on the personal front, rumour mills are abuzz with reports that Sidharth and Kiara are all set to tie the knot on February 6. And recently, she attended a special screening of Mission Majnu and took to social media to review her alleged beau’s film and referred to him as ‘India’s majnu’, which has added fuel to the fire. Ask him if he’s a majnu (lover) in real life too and he says with a smile, “I’m extremely passionate. I equate being a majnu to a lot of passions. So, yes, I would say that I’m guilty of being a majnu!”
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