When Salman Khan said Sidharth Malhotra wasn’t cut out for Bollywood, asked him to try in TV

With some hits and misses, Sidharth Malhotra has managed to make a mark in Bollywood. However, in a conversation with Film Companion, Sidharth recalled how Salman Khan was not sure if he will be able to make a career in the film industry. In the interview, which was taken six years ago, Sidharth said the superstar had suggested him to try his luck on television because “Hindi cinema needs” are different.
Tagging it as a “weird story”, Sidharth said he had met Salman Khan at his house party, which he hosted after wrapping up a season of Bigg Boss. At the time, Sidharth had not made his debut in Bollywood. The actor, who was accompanied a friend, said Salman initiated the conversation and was keen to know what he was up to.
“He didn’t know who I was. So, he asked me what I do. My friend told him I was doing Student of The Year. He said, ‘Oh alright, alright. So, you are doing Karan’s film.’ I was very quiet because it was my first casual interaction with a star, I am a fan of. As the night went on, there were certain conversations during which he was like, ‘I’m not really sure. Let’s see. I want to see what you’re all about,’ Sidharth said, hinting that Salman thought he is not cut out for Bollywood. Sidharth revealed that Salman advised him to try his luck on television.
When asked if Salman shared the reason behind why he thought Sidharth was not the right fit for films, the actor replied, “Not exactly. Just something I didn’t have. I was very puzzled.”

However, Sidharth took the comments positively. He said instead of getting offended, he thought about how Salman Khan noticed him and made a point to share his comments on him. “It did not affect my confidence. I did tell him this conversation later on,” Siddharth smiled.  He shared that after that party, he met Salman during the promotions of Student of The Year. The team had visited the sets of Bigg Boss. Salman, who remembered his conversation with Sidharth, claimed that all his comments on the actor were made  to push him to do better.
“During the promotions of SOTY, we were on Bigg Boss stage, he was like, ‘Jab main inhe mila tha. Tab maine aisa kuch bola inko encourage karne ke liye. Dekho aaj hero ban gaye. I was trying to push you.’ But it was amazing,” Sidharth remembered.
On the work front, Sidharth has joined Rohit Shetty’s cop universe. He will be seen in Amazon Prime Video’s Indian Police Force.