HYDERABAD : Siddharth Roy, the upcoming romantic entertainer directed by V Yeshaswi, stars Deepak Saroj in the lead. The film’s trailer promises the story of a young man and his battle with logic and emotions, which leads to conflicts in his life and relationships. Deepak talks about the amount of internal preparation his character in Siddharth Roy required, noting, “It demanded two and a half years of having a vulnerable mind for me to be open towards receiving anything.” He also recalls watching the interviews of many philosophers like Osho and Sadhguru as well as entrepreneurs, to understand the core of their decision-making process, noting how they eventually led him to discover newer ways of thinking. Deepak continues, “Once I found a logical thinker inside me, it came to an end, I stopped seeing the other philosophies — It took me around 15 days to find that originality within me, and another month or so to consolidate myself in that state of mind.”
To the uninitiated, Deepak had previously worked as a child artist in films like Athadu (2005) and Legend (2015). He has also won a Nandi award for his performance in the 2014 film Minugurulu. However, Deepak adds that his experience as a child artist gave him the tag of a ‘former child artist’ and little else. He explains, “Being a child actor does not add any value to what you’re going to do next. No production house will be ready to invest in you. They will greet you, but they will not invest in you. I will not have that kind of access to good stories or great productions. I have got to keep trying till I succeed and until people notice me.”
Deepak candidly admits that he was never passionate about working in movies early in his life. He recalls, “When I began working as a child artist, my main incentives were that you can bunk school and eat good food (laughs). I didn’t even want to be a hero back then.” After his stint as a child artist, there was a long span in Deepak’s career where he didn’t actively pursue work in movies. He recalls, “I had quit movies, and was working in my family business. Then the pandemic happened. Suddenly, I was exposed to human sensitivity like never before. That’s when I realised storytelling is a great art form — that’s when the passion really took off.”
Siddharth Roy also reminds one of Kushi, the 2001 Pawan Kalyan starrer where the rebellious protagonist was also named “Siddhu” Siddhartha Roy. Deepak is quick to clarify that it’s merely a coincidence and that his film’s title has a different origin story, mentioning that Siddharth Roy is based on a true story. Deepak adds, “Siddharth is a reverse thesis of Gautama Buddha. Roy, on the other hand, is a tribute of sorts to the Bengali man who inspired the director.”
Based on the film’s teaser and trailer, comparisons with Arjun Reddy (2017) have come to the fore. The actor reiterates that once the audience goes in to watch Siddharth Roy, they will forget all comparisons within the first 10 minutes of the movie. “While the stories of an Arjun Reddy or an Animal emerged out of a conflict with someone else, or for someone else, the conflict in Siddharth Roy is his own. It is completely internal. Even though Siddharth Roy looks harsh on the outside, his character arc and journey is more on the softer side,” clarifies Deepak.
When asked if he has ever contemplated getting into production — to craft his projects instead of merely waiting for good scripts to land on his lap — Deepak replies he primarily thinks of himself as a full-time actor. Yet, he adds, “We have plans. We are doing some story development, we are trying to put our foot into other aspects of filmmaking like production. Being a producer is all about having the right mindset and investing in the right idea, and we have thought about it all.”
Deepak also expressed a keen desire to explore acting in its entirety. “I am open to doing characters. I am also open to working in other industries, but that character should have an impact on the story. Siddharth Roy is not an attempt at instant stardom, it’s an attempt to showcase my talent. It is one step towards my trajectory to stardom.”