Siddharth Rejected Scripts Where He Had To Slap Women, Tell Them What To Do: 'Pinching Somebody’s Navel...'
Actor Siddharth discussed avoiding toxic masculinity roles at the Hyderabad Literary Festival. He believes this choice slowed his success but values the respect he earned.
Actor Siddharth is known for speaking his mind, and while his comments have sometimes stirred controversy, he never shies away from sharing his thoughts. At the recent Hyderabad Literary Festival, Siddharth spoke with singer and writer Vidya Rao, the mother of his wife, actress Aditi Rao Hydari. They discussed various topics, including toxic masculinity in cinema. Siddharth explained that he purposely avoided playing such roles.
He admitted that turning down these roles meant he didn’t climb the commercial film ladder as quickly. “I used to get scripts where I’m slapping women, doing item songs, pinching somebody’s navel, telling a woman what she should do, where she should go, etc… I rejected them outright. Of course, I might be a far bigger movie star today if I was differently wired. I instinctively did what I liked," said Siddharth, adding, “Today, people tell me I was respectful to women, I was good to parents, I was good with kids, and I looked cute. Their kids can watch my films from 15 years ago. It is such a gratifying feeling."
related stories
Siddharth explained that although his approach to acting may have developed naturally, it often felt like a personal struggle. He shared, “This feeling is not something that can be measured in crores. Everyone around me was trying to be aggressive and macho. When many were all ‘mard ko dard nahi hota’ (men don’t feel pain) kind of thing, and I was happy to cry on screen."
Throughout his two-decade-long years in acting, Siddharth has purposely avoided typical commercial films, focusing instead on roles that highlight his versatility and break away from the usual hero image. His recent production, Chiththa, was one such example, where the story took the lead, and he stepped back in the process.
The actor, who was in the Tamil film Miss You, is looking forward to the release of The Test, which stars Nayanthara and Madhavan. He also has an important role in Indian 3, directed by Shankar, who recently directed Game Changer with Ram Charan.
- Location :
- First Published: