EARLY LIFE :
Siddharth was born on 17 April 1979 in a Tamil-speaking family in Madras (present-day Chennai), India. He began his education at D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School, Madras, and then studied at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Delhi. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree from Kirori Mal College, New Delhi. Siddharth participated extensively in extra-curricular activities during college, serving as the president of the college’s debating society and attending the World Debating Championships. He then completed his M.B.A. from S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, while ultimately winning a speaking skills competition which earned him the CNBC Manager of the year award in 1999.
Siddharth’s first tryst with media came through dubbing for the Banish mosquito repellent ad in eight different languages in 1988, as instructed by his father’s close friend, ad director Jayendra. He noted that he knew he was headed for a career in films since childhood, showing a particular fascination for writing and directing. Thus, he only signed up for business school as a “safety cushion,” as insisted upon by his father. He then briefly pursued amateur theatre during his time in Delhi through live stage performances with the theatre group Players while honing his writing and directorial skills.
CAREER :
After finishing his education, he apprenticed with ad filmmaker Jayendra and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, who helped him become an assistant director for Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal. He worked on the film throughout 2001, making an uncredited appearance as a passenger on a bus. The scriptwriter of that film, Sujatha, was insistent that Siddharth auditioned for Shankar’s ongoing project Boys (2003), where the director had hoped to cast new actors. After consulting with Mani Ratnam, Siddharth met Shankar for an audition and was signed on the following day to play the lead role of Munna. Siddharth shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutants Genelia D’Souza, Bharath, Nakul, Thaman, and Manikandan, while also suffering an injury that led to him being hospitalized for three days. The film opened to mixed reviews but became a moderate success at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as “excellent.”Before the release of Boys, Siddharth signed on to feature in his mentor Mani Ratnam’s political drama film, Aastha Ezhuthu (2004), where he played the student Arjun Balakrishnan, a role that he described was similar to his real-life persona. Featuring an ensemble cast including Madhavan, Suriya, and Trisha, Siddharth revealed that the sync sound method of filming that the team had employed worked in his favour, as he could draw experience from his stage performances. The film was released in May 2004 to positive reviews, Siddharth then ventured into Telugu films by signing on to appear in Prabhu Deva’s first directorial project, the romantic drama Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005), in which he was again paired alongside Trisha. He also insisted that he dubbed for himself and learned the Telugu language while making the film. The film opened in January 2005 to unanimously positive reviews, with critics dubbing it a “must-see.” The film became an all-time blockbuster in the Telugu film industry, and Siddharth became a much sought-after actor in Telugu films. The film also dominated award ceremonies the following year, with his performance winning his first Filmfare Best Telugu Actor award for his portrayal of Santhosh. He then wrote the story and worked on the screenplay for his next release, the Telugu film Chukkallo Chandrudu (2006), directed by Sivakumar, also credited as a playback singer for the first time. Described as a “sophisticated comedy film for multiplex crowds,” it opened to mixed reviews, with Siddharth’s contribution described as a “redeeming factor” but failed at the box office.
After a series of template horror-comedy films, Siddharth and Milind Rau have come up with Aval, a smartly made decent thriller mixed with emotions. The script is considered to be based on a real-life incident. Apart from producing and acting, Siddharth has also co-written the movie with Milind RauThe film was made as a bilingual in Hindi (titled The House Next Door) and dubbed in Telugu as Gruham. In 2018, he appeared in his first film in Malayalam, Kammara Sambhavam. In 2019, he acted in the Hindi T.V. series Leila. The series was shot with one season and 6 episodes, appearing on the Netflix site In September 2019 Sasi’s Sivappu Manjal Pachai. While Rajasekar (Siddharth) is a traffic cop, GV Prakash Kumar is a street racer. Siddharth sheds his ‘chocolate boy’ image to play an astute, hyper-masculine. The film was released with positive reviews. And October 2019, Aruvam, a supernatural thriller film received mixed reviews. Siddharth next signed Ajay Bhupathi’s Telugu film Maha Samudram. He starred alongside Sharwanand. The film was released on 14 October 2021 in theatres with negative reviews.
PERSONAL LIFE :
Siddharth married Meghna in November 2003, after the pair had fallen in love growing up in the same neighbourhood in New Delhi. However, by early 2006, the pair lived separately and later divorced in January 2007.
