Happy days in Nikhil Siddhartha’s life

Nikhil Siddhartha did what many A-list actors failed to do in recent times. His Karthikeya 2 was one of the rare few successful films that the country has witnessed post the pandemic, and the Telugu film star has now become a known face even in the Northern states.

As the movie was released on the OTT platform Zee5 recently, we caught up with the Happy Days star who has been overwhelmed by the appreciative messages he’s been receiving on social media. “I’m trying to post and reply to all the messages but it has become impossible. I am feeling extremely happy but at the same time, I feel like there’s a huge responsibility on my shoulders now. When a movie reaches a wider audience like how Karthikeya 2 reached the Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil audiences, you are afraid of choosing your next script,” shared Nikhil. “The magic of OTT lies in the fact that our films are reaching every nook and corner of the world without any language barriers,” he added.

The makers of Karthikeya 2 consciously chose actors from different film industries like Anupam Kher and Anupama Parameswaran as they planned for a nationwide hit. “Shooting with them was the most fun part… Anupama felt like we all took an India trip! We travelled extensively as 99 percent of the scenes in the movie were shot in real locations. All of us still keep in touch through a WhatsApp group and text about how we miss each other,” shared Nikhil.

Nikhil reveals that director Chandoo Mondeti has already come up with a “nice idea” for Karthikeya 3. “He has given me a hint of the storyline and that already built up excitement in me. The script work is in progress and we might begin shooting in the next few months,” said Nikhil.

Reflecting on his journey from Happy Days to Karthikeya 2, the actor said that his initial goal was to just watch himself on the big screen once. “I faced a lot of ups and downs from Happy Days to now… but I always made a conscious attempt to do films that are fresh and different. I experimented a lot and kept engaging with my fans and that worked in my favour. Cinema is a powerful medium and I feel I am at that point of my career where I can do films that create social awareness while also entertaining the audience,” said the actor, who has looked up to actors like Pawan Kalyan and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Nikhil’s next project Spy will be made in five languages and 18 Pages will be a love story that will be released regionally. When Nikhil is not shooting, he enjoys watching football and his favourite club is Arsenal.