Sidharth Malhotra thinks Shershaah gave him a great sense of validation; remembers his difficult days

Bollywood idol Sidharth Malhotra began his journey as an assistant director on Karan Johar’s film My Name Is Khan. Two years later, he made his big-screen acting debut with Student of the Year, alongside Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. While he has given us many characters to admire, his performance on his latest album Shershaah was the one that stole our hearts. As he soaked up the role of Captain Vikram Batra and gave the most impactful performance of his career, Sidharth has proven that hard work pays off.

Well, his journey in the film industry hasn’t been all fun and entertaining. Sidharth also had to overcome various obstacles to get to where he is today. In a conversation with the Hindustan Times, Sidharth looked back on his days of struggle. He recalled: “I came to Mumbai 14-16 years ago, when I was 21-22, and saw so many ups and downs, whether it be auditions as an actor or becoming a model, trying to earn money to pay rent., then attending, then taking a break being selected from my audition… ”

Speaking of how other people’s views can only affect you if you allow them to be, he said, “At the end of the day, you know if you’ve done something that has value, substance, and the public needs to feel it. I think it was a great sense of validation that Shershaah gave me that I instinctively felt I wanted to be a part of. The hands of the producers changed, then the directors changed, the film’s writers changed! But I said that’s what I want to be a part of. All of these changes can put you off.

Then the hunk has three exciting projects in the works – Mission Majnu vs. National Crush Rashmika Mandanna, Thank God starring Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh, and Yodha, an action thriller recently announced by KJo.