Siddharth Suryanarayan (born 17 April 1979), known
mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
as Siddharth, is an Indian actor who primarily works in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
, and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
language films. Apart from acting, he has also been involved in films as a screenwriter,
producer and
playback singer
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...
. He has also been featured in many
advertisements
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
.
After completing his business management studies, Siddharth chose to work in film making and assisted
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
, before going on to make an acting debut in
S. Shankar
Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typicall ...
's coming-of-age Tamil film ''
Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
'' (2003). The success of the film provided an opportunity to feature in Mani Ratnam's multi-starrer ''
Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004), before he branched off to receive critical and commercial acclaim in Telugu and Hindi cinema through ''
Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana
''Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana'' (; ) is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Deva in his directorial debut and produced by M. S. Raju under Sumanth Art Productions who gave the screenplay as well. The film stars ...
'' (2005), ''
Rang De Basanti
''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkarni, ...
'' and ''
Bommarillu
''Bommarillu'' () () is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Bhaskar in his directorial debut, and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Siddharth, Genelia, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha. The film primarily ...
'' (2006). In the late 2000s, he established himself as a bankable lead actor in Telugu films and subsequently chose to become more selective with his projects, while also winning acclaim for his work as a carrom player in ''
Striker'' (2010) and as a blind warrior in the fantasy film ''
Anaganaga O Dheerudu
''Once Upon a time there was a warrior'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language fantasy adventure film written and directed by Prakash Kovelamudi in his first mainstream film. It is produced by Walt Disney Pictures with veteran director K. Raghaven ...
'' (2011).
In 2011, he returned to Tamil films after a sabbatical and produced
Balaji Mohan's commercially successful romantic comedy ''
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi
''Kadhilil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi'' () is a 2012 Indian romantic comedy film written and directed Balaji Mohan based on the sametitled short film he made. It was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled ''Love Failure' ...
'' (2012). The actor then had a prolific year in 2014, winning critical acclaim and box office success for his two ventures: ''
Jigarthanda'', where he portrayed an aspiring film maker, and ''
Kaaviya Thalaivan'', in which he played an actor from the 1920s Madras theater scene. After that, he acted in
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
's horror comedy ''
Aranmanai 2
''Aranmanai 2'' ()() is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by Sundar C. The film stars Sundar himself, Trisha, Hansika Motwani, Siddharth, Poonam Bajwa, Soori, Kovai Sarala, Manobala, Chitra Lakshmanan and R ...
'' (2016). Then, he acted in Malayalam film ''
Kammara Sambhavam
''Kammara Sambhavam'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language genre-bending satirical-thriller film written by Murali Gopy and directed by Rathish Ambat. The film was produced by Gokulam Gopalan and stars Dileep, Siddharth, Murali Gopy, Bobby ...
'' (2018) written by
Murali Gopy
Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair Muralikrishnan (born 4 March 1972), professionally credited as Murali Gopy, is an Indian actor-screenwriter, producer, author, singer, lyricist, music composer and journalist. He has written critically acclaimed films ...
. In 2019, he has acted in two Tamil films - ''
Sivappu Manjal Pachai
''Sivappu Manjal Pachai'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Sasi. The film stars Siddharth, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Lijomol Jose, and Kashmira Pardeshi, and marks the Tamil film debuts of both Lijom ...
'', directed by
Sasi, and ''
Aruvam
''Aruvam'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language supernatural horror thriller film written and directed by Sai Sekhar. The film stars Siddharth and Catherine Tresa with Kabir Duhan Singh, Madhusudhan Rao, Sathish, Aadukalam Naren and Manobala i ...
'', directed by Sai Shekar.
Early life
Siddharth was born on 17 April 1979 in a
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
-speaking family in Madras (present-day Chennai), India.
He began his education at
D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School, Madras and then studied at
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV) is an education school located in Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, India. The school is named after a leader of the Indian independence movement, and independent India's first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar ...
, Delhi.
He subsequently graduated with a
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...
(Honors) degree from
Kirori Mal College
Kirori Mal College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Established in 1954, it is located in the North Campus of the university in New Delhi, India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the sciences, humanitie ...
, New Delhi.
Siddharth participated extensively in extra-curricular activities during college, serving as the president of the college's debating society and attending the World Debating Championships. He then went on to complete his
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research
The S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) is a private non-profit post-graduate management school based in Mumbai, India. Founded in 1981 under the aegis of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, The institute offers several full-time and par ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, while also ultimately winning a speaking skills competition which earned him the CNBC Manager of the year award in 1999.
Siddharth's first tryst with media came through dubbing for the Banish mosquito repellent ad in eight different languages in 1988, as instructed by his father's close friend, ad director Jayendra. He noted that he knew he was headed for a career in films since childhood, showing particular fascination for writing and directing, and thus only signed up for business school as a "safety cushion" as insisted upon by his father.
He then briefly pursued amateur theatre during his time in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
through live stage performances with the theatre group Players, while also honing his writing and directorial skills.
Film career
2001–05: Debut and critical acclaim
After finishing his education, he apprenticed with ad film maker Jayendra and cinematographer
P. C. Sreeram
P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. ...
, who both helped him join as an assistant director for
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's ''
Kannathil Muthamittal
''Kannathil Muthamittal'' (also released internationally under the translated title ''A Peck on the Cheek'') is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language musical war film produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. It was based on a short story, "Amuthavum Avanum" ...
''.
He worked on the film throughout 2001, also making an uncredited appearance as a passenger on a bus. The script writer of that film,
Sujatha, was insistent that Siddharth audition for
Shankar Shankar may refer to:
People
* Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name
* Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer
* L. Shankar, Indian violinist
*S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar
* San ...
's ongoing project ''
Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
'' (2003), where the director had hoped to cast new actors. After consulting with Mani Ratnam, Siddharth met Shankar for an audition and was signed on the following day to play the lead role of Munna.
Siddharth shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutants
Genelia D'Souza
Genelia Deshmukh (née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza beg ...
,
Bharath,
Nakul
In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, ''Nakula'' (Sanskrit: नकुल) was fourth of the five Pandava brothers. Nakula and Sahadeva were twins blessed to Madri, by Ashwini Kumaras, the divine physicians. Their parents Pandu and Madri - died early ...
,
Thaman
Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian music composer, professional drummer, and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films and Tamil films. Th ...
and Manikandan, while also suffering an injury which led to him being hospitalised for three days. The story centred on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of a good education and career over other distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much publicity prior to release. The film opened to mixed reviews but became a moderate success at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as "excellent". Before the release of ''Boys'', Siddharth signed on to feature in his mentor
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's political drama film, ''
Aayudha Ezhuthu'' (2004) where he played the student Arjun Balakrishnan, a role which he described was similar to his real life persona. Featuring in an ensemble cast including
Madhavan Madhavan may refer to:
People
* James Madhavan (died 1973), Fijian politician
* Kavya Madhavan (born 1985), Indian actress
* Mahesh Madhavan (born 1963/64), Indian businessman, CEO of Bacardi
* N. S. Madhavan (born 1948), Indian writer
* O. Madha ...
,
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
and
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
, Siddharth revealed that the sync sound method of filming that the team had employed, worked in his favour, as he was able to draw experience from his stage performances.
The film was released in May 2004 to positive reviews, with a critic from ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' noting Siddharth's portrayal as "neat", while another reviewer noted that Siddharth "is cool and discovers his comic side with some great one-liners."
Siddharth then ventured into Telugu films by signing on to appear in
Prabhu Deva
Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...
's first directorial project, the romantic drama ''
Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana
''Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana'' (; ) is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Deva in his directorial debut and produced by M. S. Raju under Sumanth Art Productions who gave the screenplay as well. The film stars ...
'' (2005) in which he was again paired alongside Trisha. Portraying the
NRI
NRI or Nri may refer to :
* Kingdom of Nri, an Igbo kingdom that flourished between the 10th century and early 20th century
* National Radio Institute, a now defunct post-secondary vocational correspondence school
* National Resources Inventory
* N ...
youngster Santhosh, Siddharth revealed he worked hard to depict his character as "hyperactive, and unpredictable, to the point that the audience does not know what to expect from him" in order to differentiate the role from other NRI depictions in Indian films. He also was insistent that he dubbed for himself and learned the Telugu language during the making of the film. The film opened in January 2005 to unanimously positive reviews, with critics dubbing it a "must see". A reviewer from Idlebrain.com noted Siddharth is "the surprise" of the film, adding "he epitomized the essence of his character and won the hearts of audiences with his zest portrayal of mischievous yet lovable guy". Similarly Sify.com added "the surprise packet is Siddharth as the hyperactive, young man and he is just a riot". The film consequently went on to become an all-time blockbuster in the Telugu film industry, and Siddharth became a much sought after actor in Telugu films. The film also dominated award ceremonies the following year, with his performance winning him his first
Filmfare Best Telugu Actor award for his portrayal of Santhosh. He then wrote the story and worked on the screenplay for his next release, the Telugu film ''
Chukkallo Chandrudu
''Chukkallo Chandrudu'' ( Moon among the stars) is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language romance film directed by Sivakumar. It is produced by Alexander Vallabha on Creative Commercials. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Siddharth, Sadha, Char ...
'' (2006) directed by
Sivakumar
Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his actin ...
, also being credited as a playback singer for the first time. Described as a "sophisticated comedy film for multiplex crowds", it opened to mixed reviews with Siddharth's contribution described as a "redeeming factor", but failed at the box office.
2006–10: Career in Telugu and Hindi cinema
The success of ''Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana'' saw Siddharth shift base to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
and pursue a career primarily in Telugu films, and was non-committal about taking up films in other languages. After rejecting an initial approach by
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian film director, occasional actor and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006) and ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' (2013). He is the writer and director of ...
's team, he later agreed to work on the film ''
Rang De Basanti
''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkarni, ...
'' (2006) after being impressed upon reading the film's bound script. He was further attracted to the offer through the opportunity of working with
Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...
as well as by the film's ensemble cast of Madhavan,
Sharman Joshi
Sharman Joshi (born 28 April 1979) is an Indian actor and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi movies, known for his roles in films like ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006), '' Golmaal'' (2006), '' Dhol'' (2007) and ''3 Idiots'' (2009). ...
,
Kunal Kapoor Kunal Kapoor may refer to:
* Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1959), Indian film actor
* Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977), Indian actor, writer and entrepreneur
* Kunal Kapoor (cricketer) (born 1987), Indian cricketer
* Kunal Karan Kapoor (born 1982), In ...
and
Soha Ali Khan
Soha Ali Khan Pataudi Khemu (born 4 October 1978) is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and English films. She is the daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and t ...
. The drama film tells the story of an incident of government corruption radicalising a group of friends from being carefree to passion-driven individuals. ''Rang De Basanti'' opened in January 2006 to unanimously positive reviews and went on to become a blockbuster, quickly gaining "classic" status from critics. It was chosen as India's official entry for the
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
and the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
category, while also winning the
and Best Film at the
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
. Portraying an angry, young man named Karan Singhania, Siddharth's performance was highly appreciated by critics, who stated he was "excellent". He was subsequently nominated in the Best Supporting Actor and Best Debut Actor categories for his performance at the Filmfare Awards, Zee Cine Awards and IIFA Awards.
Siddharth's next release was the Telugu family drama ''
Bommarillu
''Bommarillu'' () () is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Bhaskar in his directorial debut, and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Siddharth, Genelia, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha. The film primarily ...
'' (2006), directed by
Bhaskar. The film portrayed the relationship between a father and son, in which the father's excessive concern for his son, and interference in his life, leads to the latter harbouring bitterness towards his overbearing father. Cast opposite Genelia for the second time, Bhaskar revealed he chose Siddharth to play the lead role because of his similarities in body language with the character. During the shoot, the director praised the actor's versatility and dedication to the role, adding he was "mesmerised" after Siddharth performed a scene close to four minutes without a cut. Upon release in August 2006, several critics gave the film "classic" status, with Idlebrain.com noting it was "picture perfect".
The lead pair won extremely favourable reviews, with a reviewer from Sify.com adding it is "another tailor-made role for Siddharth. He is very natural, charming and elegant" and he "melds effortlessly from a casual sangfroid to utter seriousness".
''Bommarillu'' went on to do blockbuster business in India, while proceeding to become the highest grossing Telugu film internationally at that date. He then worked with director
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award.
Bha ...
and cinematographer
Guillermo Navarro
Guillermo Jorge Navarro Solares, (born July 29, 1955) is a Mexican cinematographer and television director.Scott, A. O. (November 21, 2001). ''The New York Times''The Devil's Backbone (review overview)./ref> He has worked in Hollywood since 1994 ...
on a short film titled ''
Blood Brothers'', which premiered at the
2007 Toronto International Film Festival as part of
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
's AIDS Jaago project. His next release was ''
Aata'' (2007), an action drama film alongside
Ileana D'Cruz
Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1987) is an Indian-born Portuguese actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi language films. D'Cruz was born in Mumbai and spent most of her childhood in Goa. D'Cruz made her ...
, which received mixed reviews from critics. Following this, Siddharth chose to become cautious about his future ventures, revealing he "rather achieve with one good film at a time, as opposed to a barrage of mediocrity" and rejected a series of offers in Hindi and Telugu films.
Siddharth then went twenty months without a film release, taking a sabbatical and then working extensively on the making of his second Hindi film. He had two Telugu films which released in 2009, with the family drama ''
Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam
''Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by debutant Kishore Kumar Pardasani. The film stars Siddharth, Tamannaah, Prakash Raj, Ramya Krishna, and Nassar while Brahmanandam and Venu ...
'' opposite
Tamannaah
Tamanna Bhatia (born 21 December 1989), known professionally as Tamannaah, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Telugu and Tamil films, along with a few Hindi films. In 2005, she made her acting debut at the age of 15 in the Hindi fi ...
receiving good responses from critics and audiences. Anand Ranga's ''
Oye!'', saw Siddharth appear in another role as a romantic hero and paired opposite actress
Shamili
Shamlee, also known as Baby Shamili/Shamlee, (born 10 July 1987), is an Indian actress who has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam films. Her roles include the mentally challenged child Anjali in the 1990 film '' Anjali'', for which ...
, while he also oversaw duty as the film's soundtrack album producer working with
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Wes ...
. The film opened to mixed reviews and had an average run at the box office, with a critic noting "Siddharth has given a brilliant performance as a lover boy, but his acting is not up to the mark in some emotional scenes". His second Hindi film, ''
Striker'' (2010), was a period drama set in the 1990s portraying the life of a
carrom
Carrom is a tabletop game of Indian origin in which players flick discs, attempting to knock them to the corners of the board. The game is very popular in the Indian subcontinent, and is known by various names in different languages. In Sou ...
player. Siddharth became extensively involved with the making of the film and in order to adapt into the role, he took training in the sport for two months and relocated to the Malwani district in Mumbai. Prior to release, Siddharth noted that his career as an actor in Hindi films would depend on how well the film is received and contemplated relocating his base to Mumbai. ''Striker'' became the first Indian film to be released in theatres and on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on the same day, though failed to do well at the box office. However, Siddharth won positive reviews for his performance with a critic from Rediff.com noting that "this is a Siddharth vehicle from start to finish" and that "to his credit, he channelises his spontaneous presence to slip nimbly under the skin of a carrom genius, shifting his body language from a concentrating player to a smooth-talking, snarky lad entangled in a web of crime with restraint and conviction." His other release that year was the Telugu film ''
Baava
''Baava'' ( ''Brother-in-law'') is a 2010 Telugu-language romantic comedy-drama film, produced by M. L. Padma Kumar Chowdary on Sri Keerthi Creations banner and directed by Rambabu. The film stars Siddharth, Pranitha, and Rajendra Prasad. T ...
'', a romantic family entertainer, which he accepted because it would show him in the different light of a village-based character.
The film opened to negative reviews, with an industry pundit noting the film was "another misplaced attempt for a break" for the actor.
2011–13: Career fluctuations
![Siddharth - TeachAIDS Recording Session](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Siddharth_-_TeachAIDS_Recording_Session.png)
The actor was then selected to portray the lead role of a blind warrior in
Prakash Kovelamudi's fantasy epic ''
Anaganaga O Dheerudu
''Once Upon a time there was a warrior'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language fantasy adventure film written and directed by Prakash Kovelamudi in his first mainstream film. It is produced by Walt Disney Pictures with veteran director K. Raghaven ...
'' co-produced by
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
and veteran director
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
. Beginning production in June 2009, it became the actor's most expensive film till date and marked the debuts of actresses
Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur.
...
and
Lakshmi Manchu
Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna (born 8 October 1977) is an Indian actress, producer, and television presenter who works in Telugu cinema and worked in American television. The daughter of actor Mohan Babu, Manchu holds a bachelor's degree in Theatre fr ...
in Telugu cinema. The film opened with high expectations following positive pre-release promotions, but only garnered average collections and reviews from critics. While a critic from Rediff.com noted Siddharth "shines in his first true-blue action film" and that "he displays quick reflexes, agility, and keenness as the swordsman", another reviewer was more critical, stating that Siddharth "tried his best to get into the shoes of a warrior, the attire does not suit him and he displayed much innocence on his face, rendering the show a pale drama." He was next seen in the Tamil and Telugu bilingual ''
180
__NOTOC__
Year 180 ( CLXXX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Condianus (or, less frequently, year 933 '' Ab ...
'' directed by his mentor, the ad director Jayendra. The venture marked his return to Tamil films after a seven-year hiatus, and he was seen portraying a doctor who flees from his American life to begin fresh in India.
The film had an average run at the box office, though garnered positive reviews from critics. His third release of the year was the romantic college drama, ''
Oh My Friend
''Oh My Friend'' is a 2011 Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer Venu Sri Ram. It stars Siddharth,Hansika and Shruti Haasan with Navdeep in an important extended cameo. It was produced by Dil Raju. The film's title ...
'' co-starring
Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur.
...
and
Hansika Motwani, which opened to mixed reviews but went on to garner positive response commercially.
Siddharth then chose to produce his first film under his newly launched production studio, Etaki Entertainment Private Limited, which he had registered in October 2010. He financed the bilingual college romantic comedy ''
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi
''Kadhilil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi'' () is a 2012 Indian romantic comedy film written and directed Balaji Mohan based on the sametitled short film he made. It was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled ''Love Failure' ...
'' (2012), based on the same-titled short film by
Balaji Mohan, and featured in the lead role alongside
Amala Paul
Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language ...
. He revealed that after watching the ten-minute Tamil short film, he found it interesting and developed an interest to turn it into a mainstream full-length feature film. The film was shot in Tamil and Telugu over a period of eight months under a moderate budget. The film opened in February 2012 in both languages to commercial acclaim, becoming a profitable venture at the box office. Both the film and Siddharth won positive reviews, with a critic calling it "earnest" and "well-written" In 2013, Siddharth had his most prolific year and appeared in seven film across four languages. Siddharth was selected to be a part of the ensemble cast for
Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2005 ...
's ''
Midnight's Children
''Midnight's Children'' is a 1981 novel by Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie, published by Jonathan Cape with cover design by Bill Botten, about India's transition from British colonial rule to independence and partition. It is a postc ...
'', a 2012 British-Canadian
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of
Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...
's 1981
novel of the same name. He sped read the book to prepare for his role and attended a series of workshops to portray the role of Shiva, earning positive reviews for his performance. Siddharth then worked on
Nandini Reddy
B. V. Nandini Reddy is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema and television. She debuted with 2011 Telugu film, '' Ala Modalaindi''.
Early life
Nandini Reddy was born in Hyderabad. Her father Bharath. V. Reddy wa ...
's Telugu romantic comedy ''
Jabardasth'' opposite
Samantha
Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain.
Specu ...
, with the pair portraying wedding planners. Despite receiving attention prior to release, as a result of the pair's off-screen relationship, the film garnered poor reviews with critics noting their characters "were poorly written". The film became a commercial failure, while also becoming entangled in a legal tussle soon after release of story theft. He also was subsequently seen in
Srinu Vaitla
Srinu Vaitla (born 24 September 1972) is an Indian film director who works in Telugu cinema. Known for his best film works in the action comedy genre, Vaitla made his directional debut with ''Nee Kosam'' (1999) starring Ravi Teja and Maheswari. ...
's ''
Baadshah'', performing a guest appearance in a flashback sequence. His fourth release was
David Dhawan
David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Hindi films. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller '' Aankhen'' and 1999 comedy '' Biwi No.1'' earned him two Filmfar ...
's Hindi comedy film ''
Chashme Baddoor'', a remake of
the 1981 film of the same name, which released to a negative response from reviewers. Next, Siddharth collaborated with debutant director
Manimaran
Manimaran is an Indian film director, working in the Tamil film industry.
Career
He made his directorial debut in Tamil, '' Udhayam NH4'' (2013) featuring Siddharth and a newcomer Ashrita Shetty in lead roles. It was simultaneously dubbed ...
for the romantic thriller ''
Udhayam NH4
''Udhayam NH4'' is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by debutant Manimaran, a former associate of Vetrimaaran. The film stars Siddharth and newcomer Ashrita Shetty. Vetrimaaran wrote the script, did the screenplay, and ...
'', written by
Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2021, he has won five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty Inter ...
. The film won positive reviews and performed strongly at the box office, with a critic from Rediff.com adding the actor "has given a very mature, yet understated performance". He then featured in
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
's commercially successful Tamil comedy film ''
Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru
''Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film co-produced and directed by Sundar C. and produced by Khushbu. The film stars Siddharth, Hansika Motwani, and Santhanam. The film was partially reshot ...
'' portraying a timid IT employee who seeks the help of a love guru. His popularity in Telugu cinema meant that the makers shot the film in Telugu as ''Something Something''.
2014–2016: Comeback to Tamil cinema
By early 2014, Siddharth worked simultaneously on three Tamil projects claiming in an interview to ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' newspaper that the year was likely to "be a turning point in his career". His first release of the year was
Karthik Subbaraj
Karthik Subbaraj is an Indian film director, writer and producer working mainly in Tamil cinema.
Life and career
Karthik did his schooling in SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Madurai after which he went on to study Mechatron ...
's musical gangster film ''
Jigarthanda'', where he portrayed an aspiring film director who travels to
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
to make a film based on the life and times of a notorious rowdy. Siddharth was chosen by the director as "he had not done a role like it before", and his on screen character was named after and drew allusions to Karthik Subbaraj's career as a film maker. Co-starring
Bobby Simha
Jayasimha (born 6 November 1983), better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, alongside a few Malayalam-language films. After making brief appearances in the films '' Kadhalil Sod ...
as the rowdy and
Lakshmi Menon, ''Jigarthanda'' opened to unanimously positive reviews in August 2014. Reviewers noted Siddharth "gives a commendable performance" and that he "was simply terrific in the scenes where he plays a cat and mouse game with the gangster". The film subsequently went on to become among the most profitable Tamil films of the year, while earning "cult status" amongst the audience. The success of the film meant that Siddharth had four successive commercially successful films in Tamil and was at the peak of his career in the industry.
His next release was
Vasanthabalan
Vasanthabalan (sometimes credited as Vasantha Balan) is an Indian Tamil film director and screenwriter, known for his Tragedy Films in Tamil Cinema. He has made critically acclaimed films including '' Veyil'' (2006), '' Angadi Theru'' (2010) and ...
's historical fiction film, ''
Kaaviya Thalaivan'', depicting the life of performers from the Madras theatre circuit from the 1920s. Siddharth was associated with the project right from the scripting stages in 2011, and was instrumental in helping bring the producers and
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
become a part of the venture. Working alongside
Prithviraj and
Vedhika
Vedhika Kumar is an Indian actress and model who has established a career in the Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films.
She started her acting career with the Tamil film '' Madrasi''. She made her breakthrough portraying ''Angamma'' in ...
, he portrayed the leading role of Thalaivankottai "Kaali"appa Bhagavathar, a Madras theatre artiste, loosely based on the life of actor
S. G. Kittappa. To prepare for the role, he studied the work of actors from the 1920s and made himself familiar with the lives of artistes from that time period, noting his stint in theatre was helpful. The film opened to unanimously positive reviews in November 2014, with Siddharth's performance receiving critical acclaim. A reviewer from Rediff.com noted "This is a role of a lifetime for Siddharth, a truly memorable performance. He sports innumerable looks in the film and is perfect in every one of them, totally at ease with the character and the body language", while Sify.com added "he has done a magnificent job and his eyes speak the sadness of his character." Siddharth's next appearance was in ''
Enakkul Oruvan'' (2015), a remake of the successful Kannada film ''
Lucia'', which was produced by
C. V. Kumar. Appearing in two roles as a successful actor and as a village theatre operator, Siddharth appeared in one sporting a dark complexion for the first time. The film opened to positive reviews, with a critic from Sify.com stating that Siddharth does "an extraordinary job of sinking his teeth into the two characters with consummate ease", adding that the film was a "bold and unique attempt with sharp performances and a tight script". Similarly, a reviewer from Behindwoods.com stated he gave "a neat and apt enactment" in the two roles. However both ''Kaaviya Thalaivan'' and ''Enakkul Oruvan'' failed commercially at the box office, prompting the actor to take a break from films. After a six-month sabbatical, Siddharth announced that he had finished work on another acting and production venture, ''
Jil Jung Juk
''Jil Jung Juk'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film directed by debutant Deeraj Vaidy, who also co-wrote the script with Mohan Ramakrishnan. Siddharth produced the film under Etaki Entertainment banner, and also starred alongsi ...
'' by newcomer Deeraj Vaidy. He has also worked on
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
's horror comedy, ''
Aranmanai 2
''Aranmanai 2'' ()() is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by Sundar C. The film stars Sundar himself, Trisha, Hansika Motwani, Siddharth, Poonam Bajwa, Soori, Kovai Sarala, Manobala, Chitra Lakshmanan and R ...
'' alongside
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
and
Hansika Motwani. Furthermore, Siddharth has signed on to appear in a Malayalam film directed by ad film maker Rathish Ambat in his feature film debut.
2017–present: Further career
After a series of template horror-comedy films, Siddharth and Milind Rau have come up with ''
Aval
''Aval'' () may refer to:
* ''Aval'' (1967 film)
* ''Aval'' (1972 film)
* ''Aval'' (2017 film)
* ''Aval'' (TV series), a 2011 Indian Tamil-language family soap opera
{{disambiguation ...
'', a smartly made proper thriller mixed with emotions. The script is considered to be based on a real-life incident. Apart from producing and acting, Siddharth has also co-written the movie with Milind Rau. The film was made as a bilingual in Hindi (titled ''The House Next Door'') and dubbed in Telugu as ''Gruham''. In 2018, he appears in his first film Malayalam, ''
Kammara Sambhavam
''Kammara Sambhavam'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language genre-bending satirical-thriller film written by Murali Gopy and directed by Rathish Ambat. The film was produced by Gokulam Gopalan and stars Dileep, Siddharth, Murali Gopy, Bobby ...
''. In 2019, he acted in Hindi TV series ''
Leila''. The series was short with one season and 6 episodes, appearing on the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
site. In September 2019,
Sasi's ''
Sivappu Manjal Pachai
''Sivappu Manjal Pachai'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Sasi. The film stars Siddharth, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Lijomol Jose, and Kashmira Pardeshi, and marks the Tamil film debuts of both Lijom ...
''.
GV Prakash Kumar
G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian composer, actor, producer and singer known for his work in Tamil films and a few Telugu films as well. His first film was S Pictures' ''Veyil'' (2006) and he became popular in Tamil cinema by the early 2010s. He ...
is a street racer while Rajasekar (Siddharth) is a traffic cop. Siddharth sheds his ‘chocolate boy’ image to play an astute, hyper-masculine. The film was released to positive reviews. And October 2019, ''
Aruvam
''Aruvam'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language supernatural horror thriller film written and directed by Sai Sekhar. The film stars Siddharth and Catherine Tresa with Kabir Duhan Singh, Madhusudhan Rao, Sathish, Aadukalam Naren and Manobala i ...
'', a supernatural thriller film which received mixed reviews. Siddharth next signed
Ajay Bhupathi
Ajay Bhupathi (born Ajay Narasimha Naga BhupathiRaju) is an Indian film director who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut film ''RX 100'' which received positive reception. He received SIIMA Award for Best Debut Di ...
's Telugu film ''
Maha Samudram''. He starred alongside
Sharwanand
Sharwanand Myneni (born 6 March 1984) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films alongside a few Tamil films. He made his acting debut in the year 2004 with the film ''Aidho Tareekhu.'' For ''Engeyum Eppodhum'' (2011), he received S ...
. The film released on 14 October 2021 in theatres to negative reviews.
Other work
Siddharth has also been featured in many advertisements. As he actively worked in both Hindi and South Indian film industry,
Parle Agro
Parle Agro Private Limited (stylised as Parlé Agro) is an Indian company that owns Frooti, Appy, LMN, Hippo and Bailley brands.
History
Parle Agro is an offshoot of Parle Products, which was founded in 1929 in British India. It was owned b ...
signed him as a nation-wide brand ambassador in 2012 owing to his pan-Indian appeal.
Personal life
Siddharth married Meghna in November 2003, after the pair had fallen in love growing up in the same neighbourhood in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
. However, by early 2006, the pair were living separately, and later divorced in January 2007.
Filmography
Film
Voice artist
Television
Discography
Playback singer
Awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddharth
1979 births
Living people
Indian male film actors
Kirori Mal College alumni
Tamil male actors
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Telugu playback singers
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research alumni
Filmfare Awards South winners
Screen Awards winners
Tamil playback singers
Indian male playback singers
Male actors from Chennai
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Hindi cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Tamil film producers
Telugu film producers
Hindi film producers
Film producers from Chennai
Singers from Chennai