I learnt horse riding for Dariba Diaries: Sid Makkar

Sid Makkar is one actor for whom no work is big or small. The artist has worked on international projects - like The Best Exotic Marigold hotel and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – but that does not keep him away from taking up good work even on the small screen. The artist is currently seen on Epic TV’s Dariba Diaries where he essays the role of Mirza Jaan Nawaz the lead. Talking about the same he says, “On Indian television most of the shows are governed by TRPs. Numbers govern whether a character would enter or exit, but luckily with Epic TV that’s not the case. We completed the shooting of the series before its on-air date.” He further goes on to add, “Shooting for Dariba Diaries was an enriching experience. We shot in a small village for six months where the closest theatre was one and a half hours away and the nearest English film was three hours away. The village folks would follow us till they could and wait for our return. We shot 12 to 16 hours a day. I learnt horse riding so, I’d say overall it was an intense and rewarding experience.” How different is Indian film making in comparison to the international ones? “If we are talking about Exotic Hotel the scale of the film was big and the efficiency on the sets was amazing. I simply loved working with them. At the same time I essayed a tiny role in Luck By Chance but their efficiency was awesome. The other projects that I’ve worked on people value time a lot. It’s about completing work at its earliest,” states the artist. Where would you like to settle at the end of the day – International projects or Indian? “One of the reasons for me doing a lot of work – movies, serials and theatre – is that I haven’t made up my mind. But, I love movies be it International or Indian. I do theatre for I have the kaeda of an actor. I also do selective commercials and that’s simply for money,” confesses the artist. You haven’t hit the goldmine yet. “That’s true. Unfortunately I haven’t bagged any big Bollywood film but I hope the coming year changes that,” ends the actor. We wish you luck with your dreams Sid.