Sidharth Malhotra

The Assistant Who Didn't Want to Be a Model

Sidharth Malhotra wasn't born into a film family in Mumbai. In 2010, he worked as an assistant director for Karan Johar on the set of My Name Is Khan. That experience helped him understand how a set works from the other side of the lens before he made his definitive leap.

In 2012, he appeared in Student of the Year. The Dharma Productions film made him an instant star alongside two other newcomers. But Malhotra had to work twice as hard so critics wouldn't typecast him as a shallow teen heartthrob.

The risk came with the thriller.

With Ek Villain in 2014, the actor explored a darker register that earned more than 100 million rupees in just one weekend. It changed how Indian producers saw him. And although he later went on to less successful projects such as Baar Baar Dekho in 2016, his name was already on the industry's main list of bankable talents.

The Uniform as a Lifeline

In 2021, the digital release of Shershaah marked a technical and critical turning point in his career. He played Captain Vikram Batra in a war film that avoided the usual tricks of Indian commercial cinema. Until then, the film became the most-watched title in Prime Video's history in India.

And the audience responded.

In February 2023, he married actress Kiara Advani in a private ceremony in Rajasthan. The event generated more social media engagement than any previous marketing campaign for his films. But the actor preferred to return to work just one week after the wedding.

In 2024, he starred in Yodha, an aerial action film in which the actor performed most of his own combat choreography. Malhotra prefers physical control over stunt doubles whenever the production insurance allows it, so he spent months training in real hangars to bring authenticity to the high-risk scenes.

Discipline is his currency.

The Coldness of Big Budgets

The budget for the Indian Police Force series in 2024 exceeded 12 million dollars. The production, directed by Rohit Shetty, required three months of military training before cameras started rolling. The series completed its post-production in London under a strict confidentiality clause.