NEW DELHI: For Bollywood’s current heartthrob Siddharth Malhotra, Hasee Toh Phasee is not just a film title. He actually believes in the dictum and says the best way to impress girls is to “chase them” and “make them laugh”.
“Laughter always works, compliments work… so does being honest. Girls like it when you chase them. They like it when you use various means to get their attention,” said Siddharth in an interview, adding that the mantra is to keep your woman happy.
“I think for boys, if the girl laughs, it is a good thing. It means that the boy at least has a chance. All boys should try it… be it in a relationship or [just] friendship, keep your girl happy,” he said.
Directed by Vinil Mathew, Hasee Toh Phasee also stars Parineeti Chopra and promises to be much more than a regular romantic comedy. “It is very high on content and is an intimate film. The characters are very different,” he asserted. “I am playing a character who is stressed out, lost and sentimental. He meets this girl who is a bit cracked.”
Siddharth made his acting debut with film-maker Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year, along with fellow debutants Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. The film enjoyed good success at the box office and the light-hearted college romance was a classic example of the grandeur of a film that has been directed by Karan.
Hasee Toh Phasee, again produced by Karan, is however different from his debut film, said Siddharth. Talking about his character in the film, Siddharth said that he is “not a typical hero”. “He is not so successful. He is under pressure and is the most stressed out character in the film,” he shares.
The film did not only allow Siddharth to play something new but also gave him the opportunity to be back home in Delhi. Being born and brought up here, the actor misses his family and friends when he is in Mumbai.
“I don’t have family there. You miss hanging out with cousins and old school friends. You miss that comfort zone and support system,” he said, adding that he makes it a point to visit home “once every two months”.
A former model, Siddharth has had his own share of struggle, and before his big break he even worked as an assistant director in Karan’s My Name is Khan. He feels the key to success is to keep moving forward and take whatever work you get.
“The advice is to not sit at home and wait for that phone call. You should keep doing something or the other. Anything that you do will help you as an actor. I feel it is important to keep at it; if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” he said.
With Mohit Suri’s The Villain also scheduled for this year, the actor said that he would finally be able to prove his full potential. “I guess after this year, I will be in a better position to see where I am headed. I am doing two very diametrically opposite films. It takes a lot from you as an actor to do this,” said Siddharth.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2014.
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