Sidharth Malhotra is itching to get back to doing some hardcore action

I want to go back to beating up people

After the light-hearted entertainer Kapoor & Sons, Sidharth Malhotra is itching to get back to doing some hardcore action

Chaya Unnikrishnan

With Kapoor & Sons garnering a good response from the critics as well as the box-office Sidharth Malhotra is in a happy space. He has finally put the disappointing performance of Brothers behind him and is basking in all the appreciation that is coming his way. He can't wait to start prepping for his next film, an untitled action drama in which Sidharth will be doing some kick-ass fight sequences, something that he loves. "Every young hero who enters the industry dreams of beating up the bad guys," he laughs. But before that, the actor will be romancing Katrina Kaif in Baar Baar Dekho, which has his character aging from 18-60. The actor, who has done five films so far, starting with Student Of The Year, has faced failure only once (with Brothers) that came after his '100 crore hit Ek Villain. Here, he tells us how sweet success feels, especially after a failure...

You must be happy with the response to Kapoor & Sons?

I am very happy. The film, on the whole has got maximum love by far. Normally, people say they liked this character, this part or that character, but here they liked the entire experience as a film and connected to it. I am overwhelmed and touched with the response. I get goosebumps every time somebody praises the film. I am supremely excited and hope to experience this feeling many more times in the future (Smiles).

Several people felt that Fawad Khan stole the limelight in the film. What is your reaction?

Somebody told me that the film was more from my perspective than the others. Everybody has the right to interpret the movie the way they want to. None of us would have worked, if it was bad. If Fawad's character wouldn't have worked, the film would have fallen flat, the same is true about my character. As I said, the film worked as a whole. We have all done our bits correctly and hence we are getting love at the box-office. As far as I am concerned, I never got a biased reaction, so that's a first for me.

Has the success of this film erased the disappointment of Brothers?

Totally. The universe has a mysterious way of working. Kapoor & Sons was like an underdog film dealing with real issues. It did not have your typical commercial script. When we were making the film, we knew a certain kind of audience would like and connect to it. We never expected a wide variety of people to connect with it. Whatever little bit of acceptance I missed during Brothers, I got it and more with Kapoor & Sons.

You wanted to do something light and fun after Brothers. What do you want to do now?

Now, I want to go back to beating up people. In the middle, I will do a bit of a romance in Baar Baar Dekho. I will be romancing Katrina Kaif and will be seen in a new avatar. If I could describe the film in one line, I would say it's like a fictitious story in a real man's life. It's not time travel. Imagine how it will be if a real man could look into his future. The film has got some great writing, love and humour in it. After that, I start beating up people in an untitled film directed by Raj and DK. They are known to have some amount of quirk to their movies. The film will have a lighter side to it. In fact, both my upcoming films are entertaining and don't take themselves seriously, which is refreshing for me after the serious zone of Brothers and Ek Villain.

You have already done action in Ek Villain and Brothers. How will this be different?

I am training for a different kind of hand-to-hand combat, aikido (A Japanese martial art which includes joint-locking, striking and pinning techniques), jukendo and a little gun action. Unlike Brothers, I won't be undergoing a physical transformation. I need to have a leaner physique as I play a more harder and agile character. I don't need to bulk up, but I definitely need to get in shape which I was not in Kapoor & Sons.