In a career spanning 21 years, Hindustani 2 marks Siddharth’s first ever collaboration with Kamal Haasan. The film returns 28 years after its prequel and sees Kamal reprising his role of a former freedom fighter turned vigilante. Speculations are rife that Siddharth plays his grandson in the film with the trailer portraying that he’s a youngster infused with patriotic fervour who wants to eradicate corruption from the country.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, he hints that a chance to work with Haasan never came before and that he’s elated that their maiden collaboration is finally happening. “In Hindi, there’s a saying that you can go to see mata ji jab bulaava aata hai. You can’t ask someone why they didn’t pray to get a bulaava earlier. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to work with Kamal sir ever since I was a child and I got my calling with this film and this calling was given by Shankar (director) sir,” he tells us.
Talking about how this Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies production is a product of ‘divine intervention’, he states, “The alchemy of these two people coming together and me getting to swim in the same pond is insane! I believe being in the right place at the right time and doing the right things. My past karma has brought me to this day. I’ll always remain grateful for this opportunity.”
The world may know of Haasan as a reigning superstar but Siddharth reveals that underneath that lies a student hungry for knowledge. “Kamal sir never does the same thing twice. So, when you’re learning from him, you aren’t learning one specific thing but an entire subject, attitude and approach. He may be my teacher but he’s also an amazing student because he keeps absorbing like a sponge. There’s a saying in Tamil that what you know is in your fist and what you don’t know is everything that’s outside. He already knows everything and yet has the humility to say that he wants to learn some more,” he elaborates.
So, how was it looking at Haasan and Shankar at play during the shoot of Hindustani 2? Siddharth shares, “Kamal sir and Shankar sir are coming back together after the biggest collaboration (Hindustani). Kamal sir comes on set and just submits. Watching them working is like seeing a dance performance. There isn’t too much talking. You’ll be surprised. There aren’t too many discussions either. They work as if they’re playing video games and before you know it, they’ll be done.”
In line with the theme of the film, Siddharth also harbours strong feelings of patriotism in real life. Dissecting his definition of the same, the Rang De Basanti and Jigarthanda actor states, “For me, patriotism is a subset of humanitarianism and humanity itself. So, the first goal is to be a good human being. If you’re a good human being, more likely than not, you’ll be a patriot. If you feel that changes in your country’s rules and the way in which your fellow citizens are living and being treated are needed, you’ll have to fight to change it because it’s part of your greater understanding of humanity and goodness.”
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