Meet Sid Mallya who is making his acting debut with Brahman Naman and isn't the least interested in Bollywood

Up until three years ago, Sidhartha ‘Sid’ Mallya, son of troubled businessman and liquor baron Vijay Mallya was famous for two things- having the ‘Mallya’ surname and for briefly dating Bollywood’s heartthrob Deepika Padukone.

Additionally, his party boy image and outspokenness on the internet only furthered the media scrutiny.

But that was the Sid Mallya we knew three years back.

Surprising one and all, he left India and the business empire he would have inherited from his father and moved to Los Angeles- away from the glaring spotlight to give acting a chance.

Like any other struggling actor there, Mallya went for numerous auditions, participated in workshops and did some work for Youtube before enrolling himself in a one-year master’s programme at London’s prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Cut to a year later and it seems that the transformation of Sid Mallya is now complete.

Having graduated from acting school on June 24 and eagerly awaiting the release of his debut film Brahman Naman, a coming-of-age sex comedy, directed by Kolkata-based indie filmmaker Quashiq Mukerjee, popularly known as Q (Gandu, Tasher Desh), Sid Mallya, the actor is here to stay.

(A still from Brahman Naman)

Apart from Mallya, the Indo-British co-production written by Naman Ramachandran also stars Shashank Arora (of Titli fame), Chaitanya Varad, Tanmay Dhanania, Anisa Butt and stand-up comic Biswa Kalyan Rath.

Having already won accolades globally when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this January, Brahman Naman is all set to release to a global audience on July 7, exclusively on Netflix.

In an exclusive chat with Business Insider, 29-year-old Sid Mallya opened up about his passion for acting, Brahman Naman and his disinterest in Bollywood movie offers.


Would you say gravitating towards acting as a career choice was a natural progression?

You could say so. Growing up in England and going to a boarding school, I was always part of school plays and loved doing anything that was out there in terms of performance, from plays and recitals to debating. Infact, I was barely 4 years old when I did my first play. It probably stems from being an only child and always commanding the centre of attraction. Regardless, I loved being on the stage, so in a way I knew acting was my calling. But, hailing from a business family, I knew I had to give business a go before I pursued anything else.


How did your parents feel about you choosing acting over business?

Understandably, there were expectations of me following into my father’s footsteps —but again that’s a very Indian thing; the assumption that the son or daughter has to take over the reins of a family-owned business.

Lucky for me, both my mother and father were very supportive and understanding of my decision because they knew I was determined and would give it my all.


How would you describe your experience at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama?

It has been the most incredible year. The training I’ve received here is unbelievable. There were 20 of us in this master’s course and in 10 weeks we’ve been reprogrammed entirely. It’s been a very holistic approach to acting in that we’ve been taught to work through the body and how everything is connected. For instance, we’ve been taught that if your feet are out of place, it means your knees are out of place, which means the hips are out of place, which means the diaphragm is out of place, which means your chest is too tight, which means that your voice won’t come out properly. I was never a big believer in holistic medicine and all that but now I’m a complete convert.

You know, this is why they say that British drama schools can’t be matched, especially the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. This 110-year-old institution boasts of immensely talented British actors as alumni. It trained actors like Dame Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Andrew Garfield and Kit Harrington, among others and getting the same level of training as these people has not only changed me as a performer but also gives me some legitimacy so once I’m done people know that I’m of a certain standard.


What made you want to debut with Brahman Naman, as most people wouldn’t consider it as an usual debut vehicle?

When it comes to Bollywood most often people, especially star kids are launched into starring roles. They all start as lead characters and not a as supporting cast. On the other hand, none of these models exist in the West- where you are required to build up a body of work and progress from smaller to larger things and keep climbing your way up.

Likewise for me, a debut was never about being launched into a starring role and it was never about Bollywood. Infact, Bollywood never enticed me.

What I loved about this film was the diverse set of people I would get to work with from Steve Barron to Q. Steve had directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1990 and it was one of my favourite films growing up. I’ve also seen bits and part’s of Q’s Gandu and immensely loved it, so to get a chance to work with people I admire in my first film itself was part of the reason I agreed.

Moreover, while my role in the movie isn’t a leading role, it’s a nice-sized role to start my career off. It gives me credibility and is something I’d be proud of in years to come. At the end of the day, people need to be realistic- I’m not an established actor and I’m working my way up like anyone else in the industry and I’m very fortunate for this to come.

(Sid Mallya in a still from Brahman Naman)


Tell us a little bit about your role in the film?

Ronnie is the antagonist – he’s not Naman’s (played by Shashank Arora) nemesis but his rival. My character is that of a cricket-playing jock, who is rich, goodlooking, popular and gets all the girls. There’s a very clear difference between Shashank’s character who has all the answers up in his head but has zero clue when it comes to social interactions and mine. Mine’s the opposite. He’s great at social interactions but not the sharpest.


What was the hardest part about your role?

The character of Ronnie was wrote in a way that it was implied that he had spent some time in England, but I couldn’t speak in the out and out British accent I have- so I did have to tone it down slightly but at the same time the hardest part was making sure he didn’t come across as comical.


How was it working with Q?

It was fantastic. Q will always have a special place in my heart as he’s the first director I ever worked with and if I’m lucky enough to have the same relationship with the rest of directors that I had with him I’d consider myself fortunate. He’s on point, energetic, very precise and doesn’t take himself too seriously and that’s what the film is about.

When you have people like that, it automatically instills a sense of ease and the level of comfort that you could share with him was the best thing about him. Q also isn’t afraid to push the boat he does what he wants to do. Films are art and art is subjective. You show the same Picasso painting to 100 people and you get 100 opinions and Q isn’t afraid of opinions- he just does his thing. The people who create the best art are the ones that are unafraid.

(Sid Mallya with the cast and crew of Brahman Naman at Sundance Film Festival 2016)


Brahman Naman has been labelled as an intelligent sex comedy and also been touted as India’s American Pie. How did you feel about the storyline of the movie?

Set in Bangalore in the 80’s, Brahman Naman is an intelligent, fast-paced, beautifully written comedy about a set of quizzers travelling to Calcutta for a competition while wanting to lose their virginity in the process, So, yeah it involves teenage boys and lots of sex.

In one of the interviews that Q and Naman gave at Sundance, they said that nowadays the youth are always on their mobile phones either on Twitter or Instagram but back in the day none of this tech existed. Now we take selfies. Back then, teenage boys would think ‘Why would anyone want to take our picture?’ So, they would find alternative forms of amusement for themselves. That’s what the storyline is about. It’s a storyline where boys are going to be boys. What works for it is the fact that it is so relatable. Everyone, regardless of where they grew up knew a Naman. To summarise, the movie is about friendship and a bunch of awkward boys trying to do what boys do!


What are your expectations from the movie when it releases globally on July 7?

Brahman Naman will be like a breath of fresh air – it’s very different. It is also Netflix’s first ever Indian original. The platform has such global prestige and if they’re willing to hedge this obviously it’s going to do very well. It’s also such a relatable story so I’m hoping it will do very well.


Do you have any other projects lined up?

I did a film last summer called Homecoming. Small role, but I got to work with a superb director, acting opposite some great people. Getting the opportunity to do even one scene is invaluable. My focus now is finishing school and then getting back on the audition trail.


So does that mean we’ll never see you in any Bollywood movie?

Not at all. I mean, I could’ve put some money together and launched myself in a Bollywood movie if I wanted to, but that’s not what I want to do. I don’t relate to commercial Indian films at all. I want to build credibility, not be given a role in a movie because I’m related to someone in the industry. I'm not for Bollywood and Bollywood is sadly not for me.

Brahman Naman premieres on Netlix this July. Watch the movie's teaser here: