Nikhil Siddharth on a hat-trick?

Actor Nikhil Siddharth says he lost around 10 kg for Surya vs Surya, which releases on March 5. “I am playing a college student who suffers from porphyria. He can’t face the sun and comes out only at night. He, however, falls in love with a girl who wants to go out only during the day,” says Nikhil.

The role required him to be lean. “I had a bulky look for my earlier film Karthikeya. But for this one, the director asked me to reduce weight as I had to look like a college student. So I worked out,” says the actor.

He would eat only carrots, cucumber, fruits and egg whites. “I avoided rice,” he says, adding, “I worked very hard for this film. There’s a bit of pressure as my earlier two films were big hits.” Surya vs Surya’s director, Karthik Ghattamaneni, had been the cinematographer for Nikhil’s earlier film Karthikeya. “One day he narrated this subject and I immediately decided to do it. It’s a romantic comedy, but this one is  completely different, I promise,” he says.

Talking about actress Madhubala, who plays his mother, he says, “I watched her films Roja and Gentleman when I was a kid and today I am acting with her. She is cool.” Swathi had been the heroine in his earlier two films and this time, it’s Tridha Chowdhary. “I never interfere in selecting the lead actress. It’s the director’s choice,” he says, adding, “The director wanted to go with a new face this time.”

Nikhil adds that he will be taking a break after the film releases on March 5. “I am going to Tirupati and will shave my head. I had vowed to shave my head if I got success. So I will visit it one day before or after the film’s release. I will then fly to the US for a few months,” he says.
He will be joining a film school there as he wants to learn a few techniques of filmmaking. “I, especially, want to learn about graphics and how they can be used along with acting,” he says.

The actor adds that he is not in a relationship at present. “If you fall in love, you have to spend time with the girl, which I don’t have. So I am single and I have left it to my parents. They are looking out for a girl,” he says.