Siddhant Chaturvedi: "I knew that I wanted to perform, but I needed a platform."

“For years, standing in long queues and attending endless auditions, the dream of becoming a Bollywood hero had pretty much died for me. I only wanted to focus on my craft but I had never anticipated that level of recognition. I was just numb."

With his easy, unassuming presence on-screen, Siddhant Chaturvedi is a breath of fresh air. But don’t take it all at face value... The confidence with which Siddhant carries himself and essays complicated characters has been built on years of struggles, battling obstacles, and, most importantly, discovering the power that resides within himself. A journey not easy, but one that the actor can truly be proud of.

“I was not a very ambitious or competitive child, always average at sports and academics, and forced to the back of the line, much like a tree [laughs]. I think people pushed me down so much that I had to get up and find myself. In a way, my bullies made me realise my worth and motivated me to push myself in areas where I needed to prove myself.” Siddhant’s decision to act caused him years of sleepless nights and idle days. “I knew that I wanted to perform, but I needed a platform,” he says. "And so, I sat at home for five years, hoping for an opportunity. I watched people go by, I watched my friends earn money, and I thought about how easily I could have led a secure life by working in chartered accountancy (CA). There were times when I thought about going back to complete my CA, but my desire to work in films was so strong. And so, I waited...”

With this determination, Siddhant pushed through the setbacks... The camera became his greatest reason to persevere, and he tells us that he comes alive in front of it. “If I breathe, it is for the audience...” Today, Siddhant is a name to reckon with, and it is the authenticity with which he expresses himself that has won him a steady fan base.

His debut in Gully Boy [2019] as ‘MC Sher’ [by filmmaker Zoya Akhtar] catapulted him to overnight fame as an actor to watch. And then, he went on to floor audiences with his performances in Bunty Aur Babli 2 [2021] and his latest film on Amazon Prime, Gehraiyaan, with co-stars Deepika Padukone and Ananya Panday. The preparation for these roles, however, began years ago...right from the time Siddhant was studying to become a chartered accountant, like his father, when his appetite to act was simmering. Fortunately, his family supported his decision to change course, which played an instrumental role in choosing passion over traditional ‘practicality’. That encouragement kept him going—Siddhant trained himself in dance, music, marital arts, and everything else available, to ensure no producer could refuse to cast him because he didn’t possess a certain skill. “My dad told me to treat the time when I didn’t have work as a summer vacation...that school will eventually open up and I’d have many things to do before I knew it.”

Siddhant’s own youth, however, was not all playground fun. Being bullied, he grew up shy, but his father encouraged him to overcome this diffidence by dancing in public, freely being himself, and igniting an ambition in him. In fact, it was at one such party where Siddhant’s enthusiastic dancing caught Zoya Akhtar’s attention, which bagged him the role in Gully Boy. With it, Siddhant became an overnight sensation.

“When we walked out of the door after watching the film, there was a wave of journalists waving mics at me. For years, standing in long queues and attending endless auditions, the dream of becoming a Bollywood hero had pretty much died for me. I only wanted to focus on my craft but I had never anticipated that level of recognition. I was just numb.”

However, the 28-year-old actor didn’t allow the glory to get the better of him. For him, the persona is irrelevant—the work is what should speak for itself. When asked whether this growing public prominence helped draw him out of his shyness, he remarks that he’s happy not lapping up too much attention. “However, once the music starts to play, or the camera rolls, I am just like, ‘Boom!’. I love that high as well as the duality that comes with it.” He admits, though, that acting in Gehraiyaan with Deepika Padukone and Ananya Panday was somewhat daunting... “I was very nervous,” he reveals. “I was panicking before the shoot, and I had several chats with my dad about the mature nature of the script, the characters, the intimacy scenes, and working with Deepika...there was so much happening in my head!”.

But Siddhant rose to the challenge, with both Gehraiyaan and Gully Boy [where he shared screen presence with Deepika’s husband, Ranveer Singh]. In fact, Siddhant’s on-screen chemistry with two of the biggest stars of the industry has been widely-applauded. And for each of the roles, he put in the hard work required to get the nuances right... Nine-month-long workshops, intimacy preps in Gehraiyaan, practicing the craft by maintaining a diary, listening to a particular kind of music, and writing poetry to embody his characters. But ultimately, Siddhant credits his co-stars for fully submitting themselves to the vision of their director, presenting themselves like a blank canvas, and making him feel at ease on the set.

It’s the symbiotic relationships that he has deepest respect for. The kind of success that Siddhant has seen in his short stint in the industry is nothing short of a dream come true. He is a testament of what a fighting spirit can achieve. Throughout the time Siddhant sat at home without work, a voice deep within him kept telling him, “I am a star—the world just doesn’t know it yet.”

“At the time, even thinking that a boy like me, from a regular family, would get called by Karan Johar to romance Deepika on-screen was inconceivable! But believing in yourself, putting yourself out there, and just not stopping is the greatest secret.” “All this time, my friends have remained the same, from my CA to theatre days,” he continues. “Even after the screening of my films, I go home to the same people, those who knew me when I was nothing. They’ve seen the journey and know me for who I am.”

Siddhant Chaturvedi wants to be unstoppable. His dreams are ever-expanding, his goals far-reaching. With movies like Phone Booth, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, and Yudhra in the pipeline, his time to bask in the limelight has arrived.

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Photographed By: Vaishnav Praveen

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