Siddhant Chaturvedi has carved a niche for himself playing the boy next door in his brief but impactful film career. The actor, who made his debut with Gully Boy, faced several rejections before getting that breakthrough. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Siddhant talked about the one that stuck with him the most.
Siddhant Chaturvedi on the rejection that hurt him the most
In his upcoming film, Do Deewane Seher Mein, Siddhant’s character is rejected in an arranged marriage setting because of a lisp. When asked if he ever faced such a rejection for a trivial or absurd reason, the actor replies, “I have faced many rejections when I was struggling to get into acting. But I remember one that stayed with me for a long time. I had left CA just 1-2 years prior to that. I auditioned for a big film, and I got shortlisted. There were several workshops, and I blended into the character. I was marvelling that it had only been a year since I had won Fresh Face, and here I was in a film as the lead. It felt so easy. The director and the casting director liked me. But after 3-4 months of workshops, the producer watched the screen test and rejected me. I asked the casting director, and he said it was because of my curly hair. ‘Curly baal wale hero nahi bante’.”
Siddhant was told to straighten his hair and give another audition. But he was rejected again after being told, ‘Zyada straight ho gaye hain baal’. I wondered, “What is this criterion to reject someone?”
Siddhant recalls feeling really hurt and sad after the rejection. “After I was finally rejected, I went home and shaved my head. I was so sad. That stayed with me for a long time,” he says. The actor adds that the decision to shave his head was a difficult one because his mother was very fond of his curly mane.
Siddhant adds that it took him a while to feel comfortable with his hair after that, but he now owns his curls. Pointing to a poster of Do Deewane Seher Mein, he says, “Look at it now, it’s on the poster in the centre. And I am happy with that.”
Do Deewane Seher Mein
Do Deewane Seher Mein is a romantic drama that also stars Mrunal Thakur in the lead role. Directed by Ravi Udyawar and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film will release in theatres on February 20.
