Sidharth Malhotra: Rising up the charts

Bollywood's Sidharth Malhotra got lucky with his debut film Student Of The Year. The box office hit garnered him appreciation and since then there has been no looking back. And he is grateful to Karan Johar. He says, "I am an outsider in the industry and I owe my success to my mentor Karan Johar. He keeps guiding me even now."

His upcoming film Baar Baar Dekho, with Katrina Kaif, has an intriguing narrative and carries a message for youngsters who run after money. So doesn't he run after moolah? "I believe in working hard... money will follow. I am just longing to own a house. I miss my family, especially my mom, so I need to buy a huge house in Mumbai where they can visit me often," says Malhotra.

Growing up years
"In school when I used to get less marks, my mom would get upset. She wanted me to excel in studies. Just like in Baar Baar Dekho which showcases a timelapse. If at all, I could change something from the past, I'd like to get good grades so that my mum could be happy," says Malhotra.

On settling down
So is his mum keen on getting him married soon? "Not at all," laughs Malhotra. "She knows that I have to work rigorously to be able to establish myself in my profession. I have just begun. Besides, my elder brother is married and so she is happy. Her grandson keeps her busy," he says.

On being single
Sidharth is usually very secretive about all his affairs. And when we address rumours about his latest patch up with Alia Bhatt, he replies, "I am single at the moment. Alia and I are actors and whenever we start doing a film we are seen together," he replies. Is he insecure? "No, I am ambitious. The way my career graph has been going upwards, I feel I really have to work hard to enhance my career," he adds.

On the Khan-daan
Does he think he will be able to de-throne the Khans? "There is no word as dethroning; it's a natural progression. The Khans have been there, done that and are still going strong. They can do one film a year and yet be on the top. They have a huge fan following.

"But they've worked hard to get to this position. Nothing happens in a day. We need to look at their hard work and pick up a leaf or two from them. I have just begun," says Malhotra.

About getting royalty as remuneration, "That's like a pension plan and there's still time for it. I am yet to prove myself to make a strong position. I am only looking for strong characters. Thankfully, I am getting different roles with every film," he says.

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