Behind the calm is a climb: Sidharth Malhotra opens up on the challenging years that forged his path

MUMBAI: Sidharth's journey started not with a breakthrough, but with a setback that pushed him to rebuild- slowly and with unwavering focus.

He shares, "I was 21–22 when I came to Mumbai believing I had bagged my first Hindi film. I thought my life was about to begin… and then that film never took off. I was back to ground zero and found myself filled with self-doubt, questioning whether I stay here or go back.

Suddenly, I was in a new city with no plan. Mumbai can be overwhelming for anyone coming from the outside, and it took time to find my footing. I was lucky to have friends who shared small spaces with me, sometimes one room between all of us. For a while, I even lived inside the editing room of the production house that had signed me.

When the film fell apart, it felt like the ground had shifted. You feel lost when the very reason you moved cities doesn’t work out. That’s when I decided to start from scratch; I began working as an assistant director, learning on set, understanding the craft from behind the camera, and trying to find my way back to acting.”

His real training began there - on the floor, on set, day after day. A chapter he now sees as the making of him - the struggle that shaped the star he would one day become.