Siddharth says no to scripts with 'item songs, slapping women'

South Indian actor Siddharth revealed he would have been a bigger star today, had he not turned down scripts which involved objectification of women and demanded him to slap them.

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Speaking to his mother-in-law and veteran classical singer Vidya Rao, at the Hyderabad Literary Festival, actor Siddharth disclosed how he said no to playing toxic men on screen, which also cost him from being the ‘bigger movie star’.

He said, “I used to get scripts where I’m slapping women, doing item songs, pinching somebody’s navel, telling a woman what she should do, where she should go. And if those films had great scripts, they would’ve made great, successful films.”

“I just rejected them,” Siddharth revealed. “I might be a far bigger movie star today if I was differently wired. I instinctively did what I liked.”

“Today, people tell me you were respectful to women, you were good to parents, you were good with kids, you looked cute. And their kids watch my films from 15 years ago. It’s such a gratifying feeling; it’s not something that can be measured in crores,” reflected the ‘Rang De Basanti’ actor.

“Everyone around me was trying to be aggressive and macho. They’re all mard ko dard nahi hota (men don’t feel pain) kind of thing, and I was happy to cry on screen,” he concluded.

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