Exclusive | Is SPY actor Nikhil Siddhartha subconsciously attracted to films about the 'past'? The actor answers...

OTTplay caught up with the Karthikeya 2 actor ahead of the release of SPY to pick his brain about an interesting pattern emerging from his recent filmography

Nikhil Siddhartha

One striking aspect of Nikhil Siddhartha's recent filmography is the element of 'past'. If Karthikeya 2, which could be hailed as the overture of this pattern that we speak of, was about a mystical anklet whose origins go back to the Dvapara Yuga, his upcoming release SPY concerns one of the most alluring mysteries of recent Indian history, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

India House, one of the many films he has lined up for release, in the same vein, has him playing a character from the early 20th century whereas the first look of Bharat Krishnamachari's Swayambhu reveals him in a glorious warrior avatar. And, of course, there's Karthikeya 3 in the offing which, in all likelihood, will see Nikhil digging up the past once again.

One mustn't forget that there's also 18 Pages in the mix which is about a journal that he serendipitously finds and compels himself to go on an emotional journey. The film might not be a valid addition to the same bracket as the aforementioned titles but if were to discuss Nikhil Siddhartha's latest penchant for unravelling the past, then it's worth mentioning.

So, is it that he is subconsciously attracted to these subjects? Let's say that isn't the case but has he managed to get an objective view of things and spot the Pattern?

"Karthikeya 2 was about exploring the Daiva Manushya Roopena concept, which in essence means that God is nothing but a form of Man. In a sense, whoever does good work is considered God and we used Lord Krishna as the main reference. 18 Pages, I always thought of it as a love story but maybe, yes, there is that element of past again. The next film I am doing, Swayambhu, is a periodic fantasy drama but if you were to ask me whether I have had the chance to think about the 'link' that connects all these films, then the answer is no. I haven't thought about it so much.

I take every film on its merit and how the entire project is being conceived. The genre, on the other hand, is the only thing I take care of - for example, Karthikeya 2 was a fantasy, very 'Indiana Jones' kind of film. 18 Pages is a love story and this film [SPY] is an espionage thriller. Swayambhu is a periodic war drama and India House, too, is a love story. And then in Karthikeya 3, we are unravelling history again. So, I have strived hard to keep the genre different each time but the element of going back in time, I haven't thought about it," shares Nikhil Siddhartha in an exclusive conversation with OTTplay.

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But perhaps, would this whole idea of exploring the past in whatever form, be an interesting way of exposing the younger crowd to Indian history?

"Yes, it could be. Especially a film like Karthikeya 2 was an attempt at that, to let the younger crowd and people, in general, that our mythology is nothing but our history. In SPY, even though it's an espionage thriller, we have an undercurrent of the Indian independence movement and what transpired at the time. Also, the film deals with how the great Netaji motivated lakhs & lakhs of people to come out and fight for freedom. There's a dialogue in the trailer as well which you will find just before Rana (Daggubati) enters where I say, "India has got its independence" and he says, in response, that India wasn't given its independence but it was achieved. That is one of the interesting points we are trying to discuss and I think the last 75 years have gone by and people are not reading enough about this. And we perhaps take our freedom for granted. So, we try to give these small bits of information without going overboard with lecturing and all that. It's going to be enlightening through a very entertaining narrative," adds Nikhil.

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