Sidharth Malhotra, the handsome and versatile actor of Bollywood recalled that his first salary was Rs 2,500. Before turning to the entertainment industry, he was an assistant director.

But he started his career in the fashion field as a model. Speaking of his humble first payment, he said, “Back then, that was the value of our time.”

Ramp to Films

The “Shershah” actor didn’t have it so easy in his career. Before the film industry welcomed him with open arms, he used to walk the ramp.

The Delhi lad shared, “I used to do fashion modelling, and walks, so my photograph would appear on the paper in designer clothes.” And casting agents noticed him when he ended up in a print ad in a newspaper. 

“I had done an advertisement for a mobile campaign. They had seen my face in the paper,” he said, revealing that they recommended him to go for an audition. “That journey has its hardships. It wasn’t this easy,” the “Kapoor & Sons” actor said. 

Sidharth Malhotra was 20-21 years old when he got an ad opportunity and he drew his first salary. “My first pay cheque was ₹ 2500 or ₹ 3000. Uss waqt humare waqt ki itni hi keemat thi.” Meaning, that was the value of our time those days. 

Life was not a bed of roses

Soon, Sid found out that Anubhav Sinha’s new project was up where he was launching new faces. He tried his luck at Adlabs film agency and started training under Anubhav. But as luck would have it, the film didn’t take off as expected. 

Like many other aspiring artists of the B-Town, Sidharth, too, got desperate for a job. He opined that actors do something out of the box in such situations, which is how he landed as an Assistant Director. 

Although his journey was not smooth, he is grateful for all the experiences. Being an AD in films became a good learning opportunity, he said, “I went straight to production houses, not as an actor but as Assistant Director. I made that shift. Those three months determined my path today.”

Besides, there was no set pay or minimum amount that ADs would receive back then. Particularly, as Sidharth Malhotra was the junior most, “If there are 5 ADs in a film, then the 5th one would be an intern, which means that he doesn’t get paid well or doesn’t get paid at all.” And this was the part that Sid picked among a team of ADs who worked on big films. 

Sidharth Malhotra’s fate turned with Karan Johar

Sid got the much-needed exposure and recognition with Karan Johar’s “My Name Is Khan,” starring Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan. “Out of 8 ADs, I was something in the middle, on the 5th spot,” Sid noted. He learned many nuances of filmmaking. Meanwhile, various crew members noticed how good he looked on camera.

Soon, Sid made his acting debut with Karan’s “Student of The Year,” which came out in 2012. Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan were also launched along with Sidharth Malhotra. Sid is married to Kiara Advani and is now ruling the box office charts with the new release “Yodha.”