Siddharth learns from Aamir the joy of letting others shine

Looks like 2014 has started on a good note for Siddharth as he has back-to-back films, Jigarthanda, Kaaviya Thalaivan and a new film, which is a remake of the Kannada hit, Lucia, lined up for release.

“Jigarthanda is not a regular film. I am excited to see so much expectation for it, the second film of Karthik Subbaraj who debuted with an offbeat blockbuster, Pizza. I worked with debutant filmmakers for the first 12 of my 15 films. It’s their first film and they want to prove their mettle, they go in with full force and put in full effort. But, for their second they are likely to go in with over confidence and miss out something somewhere. As far as Karthik is concerned, he readied Jigarthanda first and then made Pizza. I guess we are safe that way,” remarked Sid at a press gathering for JT.

Sid says that he had a few reasons why he accepted JT. “When I heard the script, it was so inspiring that I wanted to watch the film first once it was made. Jigarthanda will help me shed the chocolate-boy tag. It is a gangster film. Karthik Subbaraj has come up with a different film. The second lead, done by Simha, will create the biggest impact on audiences. In fact, Karthik and I discussed several big names for the role, but finally, we decided to go with Simha. Actor Karunas is a stress buster on the sets,” he adds.

Talking about his co-star Lakshmi Menon, he says with a smile, “Lakshmi is like a kid on the sets. She is very innocent and sweet. But once she is in front of the camera she is a different person. She is mature and carries her shots effortlessly. So far all her films have turned out to be huge hits. She is our lucky charm and we hope her luck continues with JT as well.”

Sid admits that he has been following Aamir’s path. “After working with Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti, I understood that real joy lies in allowing others to give their best on screen. Their performance adds to our best. It happened to me in RDB.”

Lakshmi Menon, who could not attend the audio launch, was present at the media meet and said that she had her final plus one exam, which kept her away from the event.

“Jigarthanda is very special to me because I love and relish the drink, jigarthanda. Siddharth is one of my favourite actors and I am proud to have worked with him. The number of days I worked for Jigarthanda was few, still my character was a lovable one, thanks to Karthik Subbaraj sir,” Lakshmi says.