EXCLUSIVE: Will Sidharth Malhotra Play Negative Lead In Upcoming Movies? Actor Says 'I'm Not Against It'

Sidharth Malhotra is currently gearing up for the release of Rohit Shetty's action thriller series Indian Police Force, which will mark the actor's OTT debut. It also stars Shilpa Shetty and Vivek Oberoi. In the latest episode of Pinkvilla Masterclass, Sidharth Malhotra, Rohit Shetty, Shilpa Shetty and Vivek Oberoi talked about their upcoming series. During the conversation, Sidharth was also asked if he would play a negative lead in his films, after his 2014 film Ek Villain.

Sidharth Malhotra on possibly playing negative lead again

In Mohit Suri's 2014 film Ek Villain, Sidharth Malhotra appeared as Guru Divekar, a criminal whose disaster-stricken wife is murdered by a serial killer. His fans loved Sidharth playing a role that had shades of grey. When asked if fans can see him playing a slightly gray character or a negative lead in any of his upcoming films, Sidharth Malhotra told Pinkvilla, “Yes. I think so, but in Ek Villain, at its core, the character he had a good motivation even though he was a very aggressive character who did wrong things in his past. But his present day journey was because of a love story. Because of an emotional reason. It was my third film. It was more challenging and scarier then, to portray a quieter, fun character.”

He also added that he is not against playing the negative lead in films. “For now, I'm not averse to it. It's something I'm probably looking for too. So it depends on the writers and the director. If something interesting comes up, of course. Why not?” he said.

Rohit Shetty on the challenges of writing the character of a villain

Rohit Shetty, who is a writer and director, was also asked what is more difficult for him to write – a hero or a villain character. In response, the director said that he is the most difficult villain character to write. “Old Man. Because I think for an action movie, or any movie, if the problem isn't bigger, the hero can't get bigger. The problem has to be bigger. Whether it's a love story, they can have a their problem. The villain comes with a character, so the villain is the most important,” said Rohit Shetty.

Sidharth Malhotra plays real life heroes on screen

In the same interview, Sidharth Malhotra also shared why he gravitates towards real-life hero roles as seen in his film choices, from Shershaah to Mission Majnu, Indian Police Force and Yodha. The actor said that he finds these characters really interesting.

“When you play characters that you've seen or heard in real life and they do something very heroic and something very exciting, it makes for a nice Hindi movie entertainment. I find this watch very interesting. I like parts of geopolitics, and I like real missions. when I watch documentaries. Not that any of the films are a version of that. Maybe Shershaah was one. But it's a great mix,” Sidharth said.

About Indian Police

Created by Rohit Shetty and directed by Rohit Shetty and Sushwanth Prakash, Indian Police Force is an action packed seven episode series. It is a heartfelt tribute to the selfless service, unconditional commitment and fierce patriotism of Indian police officers across the country. Against the backdrop of impending danger, this crime drama unfolds in a thrilling chase as Siddharth Malhotra, Vivek Oberoi and Shilpa Shetty Kundra wade into chaos to save the city from threats, embodying fierce patriotism.

This series marks the digital directorial debut of Rohit Shetty. It also stars Shweta Tiwari, Nikitin Dheer, Rituraj Singh, Mukesh Rishi, Lalit Parimoo in pivotal roles. It is scheduled to premiere on January 19, 2024 on Prime Video in India.