18 Pages actor Nikhil Siddhartha: There’s no bigger pressure than success

Nikhil Siddhartha is leaving no stone unturned to promote his next, 18 Pages, across the Telugu states. After an 18-city tour, the star has finally returned home and can’t wait for the audiences to watch his romance drama in theatres. In a chat, he opens up on life after the success of Karthikeya 2, the many layers to 18 Pages, associating with Anupama Parameswaran again and spills the beans about his future projects.

Handling the stature as a pan-Indian actor

Whenever people address me as a pan-Indian hero, I feel the pinch. There’s no bigger pressure than success. Many may presume that I party hard after every hit, but my constant worry is to stay in tune with the times and tastes of audiences. I have three projects coming up and I am taking utmost care to live upto expectations.

Shooting for 18 Pages amidst many delays

The script didn’t change over time but we felt few scenes could’ve been shot better and hence, we went for a reshoot. Moreover, Sukumar garu was away for Pushpa’s shoot for six months and Karthikeya 2 released at the same time. We gave a good finishing touch to the project and only then, we wanted to release it.

The decision to release 18 Pages in only Telugu

It’s not impossible to dub 18 Pages in Hindi but we didn’t want to rush it like a formality. For instance, Sita Ramam’s Hindi version released only a month after the Telugu release. Karthikeya 2 was planned as a multilingual all along and most of the dubbing artistes were in place on time. I okayed 18 Pages in 2019 and I didn’t want to alter release plans just because the situation has changed now.

Many facets of 18 Pages

18 Pages was a challenging film as a performer. I have done good films but somewhere I felt my performances weren’t talked about as much. I think 18 Pages will set the record straight. It was great to be a part of a script written by Sukumar garu. Only when I watched the film earlier this week, did I understand the deeper meaning of every sequence.

I am not a big fan of love stories and believed that concept oriented films, thrillers are my forte. More than a love story, 18 Pages is a very unique film - it has thrills, emotions, romance and a lot more. The guy falls in love with the girl while reading 18 pages of a diary. I liked the twists and turns in the story and I couldn’t guess the climax while I was listening to the narration.

18 Pages also addresses mental health and tells guys how to deal with breakups, take care of elders. The songs have luckily worked with crowds in quick time. I am still nervous about how audiences would receive the film in theatres. However, regardless of its fate at the box office, I can say people will appreciate the attempt.

Association with Anupama in consecutive films, a happy coincidence

Working with Anupama Parameswaran is only a coincidence. She was our first choice for Karthikeya 2 and later producer Bunny Vaas finalised her for 18 Pages; I didn’t have any say in it. She has done full justice to the role. She was in tears while dubbing for the film in the climax and messaged her happiness about working with me on this project. 

Future projects

Spy is a huge film revolving around an unexplored subject – I would call it India’s best kept secret. Karthikeya 3 will be shot in 3D, we are working out the technicalities of the shoot. Going forward, I want to do Telugu films with a national appeal. I don’t take success to my head because I constantly stay in touch with people who keep me grounded and are forthright with their thoughts.