Actor Siddharth Bodke is on cloud nine after the amazing response he has got for his performance in the super hit thriller Drishyam 2. The actor says that he is getting so many messages, appreciating his performance as well as the film.
“A lot of people are asking me; ‘25 lakhs milein kya?’ Many from the Marathi industry have messaged me too and I am overwhelmed. My co-actors Tabu ma’am and Ajay Devgn sir also liked my work. I had met them during the premiere and success bash. Even the director, Abhishek Pathak is very happy with the performances. I have been getting several film offers now,” he says.
The police station scene is quite memorable, and he says and the scene will always be special. “That was actually my audition scene! At that time, however, I had no idea that when I’ll eventually shoot for this scene, Tabu ma’am and Akshaye Khanna sir will be present in front of me. When I learnt about it, I was excited. I had never met them before. I met them for the first time during the shoot of the scene. We did readings and then filmed it. I had a lot of fun because they are legends for a reason. Your acting develops a lot of depth when you have worked for so many years. To work with veteran actors, hence, is always a pleasure,” he says.
Talking about working with Akshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgn, he says, “Akshaye an introvert and with me and his other co-actors, he was really nice. I spent limited time with him. But he would sit down and discuss how we can do the scene. To see him on screen is one thing. To perform with him is a different experience,” he adds, “Ajay Devgn is a very big star and yet, he’s very chilled out and cool. And he’s a thorough professional. At the same time, he also liked to have fun and do masti. And his eyes are so intense. To subtly act through your eyes is very difficult. I got a chance to see that from close quarters, and I consider myself lucky.”
While Siddharth’s character is integral to the story, he is missing from the climax. Talking about the same, the actor says, “Initially, the plan was to have me in the finale. But I wasn’t contributing at all to the scene. So, the director and writers rewrote the scene to make it crisper. And I think it was a wise decision. My picture is shown in the court and Vijay is asked, ‘Isko jaante hai aap?’ By doing so, important mudde pe gaadi jaldi aa jaati hai.”
Meanwhile, watching the film has been an overwhelming experience for the actor. “I saw the film at PVR Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East. My school friends flew down from Pune, Hyderabad, Nanded etc. to watch the film with me. Our show was full and towards the end, people were clapping and cheering. It was an overwhelming and satisfying feeling. For my friends and family, it was a proud moment. In fact, people recognized me in the theatre. They appreciated my work and even here, they started asking me ’Rs. 25 lakhs ka kya hua?’! It’s also heartening to see the film is doing well, especially in these post-pandemic times,” he says.
Talking about how it all began, Siddharth says, “I am from Nashik and when I was in Class 5, I did my first acting workshop during the summer vacation. I enjoyed it. Our acting sir cast me and a few others in a commercial play, Shyamchi Aai. I played Shyam and we did 500 shows. Later on, I did experimental theatre. I then came to Mumbai and slowly, started getting work in Marathi TV serials, that too as a lead. At the same time, Suyog Production, a very old and prestigious theatre production, signed me for a play named Ananya. I also did sketches and videos on YouTube and 2 series for Amazon Mini. Finally, I bagged a Hindi TV show ‘Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin’, where I played the negative lead. It got a lot of appreciation. Meanwhile, I was dying to do a Bollywood film but landing a role in a Hindi film is a very difficult process. Thanks to Drishyam 2, the beginning has been made. I just hope I get to do many more meaningful roles.”
He adds, “My father is a lawyer while my mother is a teacher. My nana, Padmakar Darade, is a writer. He used to do theatre. He encouraged and helped me when I started as an actor. It’s because of him that I got the motivation to become an actor.”
