Siddharth says Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth’s personal stand set a precedent for Tamil actors. He also addresses jingoism debate with regard to Hindustani 2.
Hindustani 2 marks the first-ever collaboration between Kamal Haasan and Siddharth. The film returns 28 years after its prequel and sees Siddharth as a young vigilante trying to clean up corruption in the country. Speaking to us a while back, he stated that getting the chance to work with Haasan felt like ‘divine intervention’ to him and added that it’s a result of his ‘past karma’.
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Now, Siddharth exclusively shares with News18 Showsha how deeply he and his generation of actors have been inspired by legends such as Haasan and Rajinikanth. Talking about how a stand taken by them has been a lesson of sorts for everyone in the Tamil film industry, he tells us, “Rajini sir and Kamal sir took a decision years ago that they still stand by. They don’t go and endorse surrogate advertising for alcohol, smoking, paan masala and all that.”
The Rang De Basanti and Chittha actor adds, “If they had done it, others would also have done it in the South. Nobody does it because they set a precedent. We’re very proud to have two such legends in our industry because they’re two people who showed us the way in many ways.”
With Hindustani 2, Siddharth is reuniting with S Shankar 21 years after Boys, which marked the former’s debut. And once again, he’s elated to be directed by the filmmaker, who has delivered Hindustani and Robot, two of the biggest films with Haasan and Rajinikanth, respectively. “The one thing connecting both of them is Shankar sir. They both get him and he gets them. The films they do together have a ginormous once-in-a-generation kind of appeal. Shankar sir uses the both of them perfectly,” he remarks.
Earlier, Haasan had divulged how Shankar is one of the calmest directors he has known. Reacting to his statement, Siddharth says, “I had the honour of being on a Shankar set for more than 200 days in my life. And right from my first film to now my 38th, I’ve never seen him lose his calm. Had I been in his place, I would’ve had a nervous breakdown on certain sets. He, on the other hand, just keeps looking straight and thinking what has to be done to keep the ship moving along with a completely Zen mind.”
On a related note, patriotic films have always been the flavour of the season and Hindustani 2 is the latest addition to the bandwagon. These films, however, have come under the scrutiny of many film connoisseurs, who called out their jingoism and chest-thumping nationalism quotient. Addressing the same, Siddharth states, “We’ve a joke in the Tamil film industry. When something is very dramatic, we say itna violin kyun baja raha hai?”
He adds, “For filmmakers, it’s a personal choice and the answer to how many violins are too many violins is subjective. When it comes to jingoism, if Shankar sir feels like it is going notches higher, he’ll tone it down. The film is his medium and expression. And if he’s in need of it, he’ll play as many violins as he wants to.”
