‘I know that ‘Striker’ will open the right doors,’ said Siddharth

In Mumbai to promote his next film,Striker,Siddharth has resurfaced after a four-year hiatus in Bollywood. And though he did give four blockbusters down South during this period,the 30-year-old actor chose to take a 20-month sabbatical at a time he could have been riding high on RDB’s success. The question on it clearly makes him uncomfortable. “What I did during that phase is very personal. I needed to unclutter my mind. I did a self-audit—asked myself why I am here. I got some scary answers and therefore altered some decisions. RDB was a different kind of film with an ensemble cast. I wanted my next to be a solo hero film that would give the audience an entire range of my work.”

Dressed in a safe blue chequered shirt,the actor seems high on adrenaline. What follows,sounds like a practised monologue of FAQs on Striker as Siddharth raves about director Chandan Arora,the production team,his research on the milieu of Malwani,where the story is based,and the depth of the semi-biographical protagonist Suryakant.

In short,Striker is the story of a financially unprivileged boy trying to make a living and to whom playing carrom has been a way of life.

The film talks about Surya’s disappointments and failures and how he sits on the fence of crime during this journey.

While Siddharth considers Surya’s journey epic,the actor’s personal voyage has been atypical and no less interesting. Though he had wanted to be a part of the film industry from a very young age,he ventured into the field only after he post-graduated with a top rank from SP Jain College of Management,Mumbai. He even rejected corporate offers so that he could assist Mani Ratnam.

Despite the grind,Siddharth hasn’t limited himself to just acting. He has been a playback singer as well as a screenwriter for films in the South. And with Striker,he has produced the music—bringing together a range of music directors including Vishal Bharadwaj,Amit Trivedi and Yuvan Shankar Raja for an ensemble soundtrack—and has turned a playback singer. “I indulge in whatever creative urge I get,” he explains between sipping on a Bacardi Breezer,“Though the decision to sing for Amit’s track Bombay Bombay was Chandan’s. He wanted to lend a raw,edgy voice to it.”

As we ready to part,Siddharth promises that this time around,he is here to stay. “Since I am already a star in the South,the least I can do for my fans is not become an also-run in Bollywood. I need to be accessible to filmmakers. So I am buying a house in Bandra now. Filmmakers have wanted to work with me but the biggest reason stopping me was me. But I know that Striker will open the right doors.” We hope so.