I don't think I can make things fly with my stardom: Siddharth

Siddharth maybe one of the most versatile performers in the industry but he believes fame and stardom of an actor are not enough to save a project if it is not good.

That's the reason why, the actor said, he has always strived to work with talented people. His decision to make his streaming debut with "Leila" was also inspired by this philosophy.

"I always look for places where I can learn something. And that was the selfish motivation behind picking a show like this. It was a no brainer," he told PTI in an interview.

"I act in films so that I can be someone that I'm not... It's always been about trying to do something that's not been done before," he added.

The actor, who has worked in both South and in the Hindi film industry on films such as "Aaytha Ezhuthu", "Bommarillu" and "Rang De Basanti", said talented names like Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar were enough for him to board the series.

"The job of an actor is generally not very safe or satisfying. Because you're not the first person to have the idea, you're not the first person to execute the idea. You're just a pawn. So your career or your work can only be as good as the other people.

"Having said that, I've always pursued being around people and content where my contribution is relevant because I've enjoyed my bursts of stardom and appreciation. But I've never been in a misconception that I can make anything fly. I don't believe my stardom or my talent can save something that's not good," he said.

The actor is quite vocal against the right-wing politics on his Twitter handle but in the dystopian thriller, Siddharth plays someone who is a part of the authority."

"I'm open about the kind of politics I don't like... But yeah, it's a pretty interesting analogy that it (the role) is dire opposite of what I am," he said in reply to a question.

Siddharth said his social media platform is for him to express himself in the "purest form".

"I generally try not to do that (thinking before tweeting). Because I like to believe I've reached a certain point and certain opinions in my life after a lot of thought. So once you reach that point, you don't need to think every time before you speak.

"It's when you become a politician and you have to be careful every day about what you speak, that it is a problem. Otherwise, you represent yourself in your purest form," he said.

"Leila", starring Huma Qureshi in the lead role and based on Prayaag Akbar's best-selling novel of the same name, started streaming on Netflix from Friday.