There’s a bit of pressure and fear: Siddhant Chaturvedi on his first solo hero film ‘Yudhra’

MUMBAI: For Siddhant Chaturvedi, “Yudhra” is a significant milestone as it will see him as a solo lead for the first time. While the excitement is palpable, the actor says there's inherent pressure and fear that comes with the responsibility of headlining a movie.

The action thriller is directed by Ravi Udyawar, best known for helming Sridevi’s comeback movie, “Mom”.

"I've always wanted to come into the cinemas because everybody has some kind of aspiration, and this is that kind of film. I want people to shower love, be excited and be on the edge of their seats.

"Some things are not in your control and hopefully, things will turn out well. But there' a bit of pressure and fear, which is part of the job. I’m sure this film will surprise people,” the 31-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.

Chaturvedi, who made an impressive debut in 2019 as a seasoned rapper MC Sher in Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy", said “Yudhra” was going to be his next “big ticket solo hero” action film after his first film but pandemic delayed the project.

Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, the film was officially announced in 2021.

Chaturvedi utilized that period to Jiu-Jitsu, Japanese martial arts, kickboxing, taekwondo, and gymnastics.

“We wanted the international crew and the action directors are the ones who trained Tom Cruise for ‘The Last Samurai’, ‘Die Hard’, and the biggest films out there.

"But because of the pandemic for those two years, there were restrictions so everything was on halt. Then I did 'Gehraiyaan', 'Phone Bhoot', and 'Bunty Aur Babli 2',” he said.

Chaturvedi, however, stayed focused on his fitness regimen during the pandemic as he wanted to give his best shot to the action film.

"I was working out for three to four hours every day. I self-trained myself, watched a lot of videos, and listened to motivational music, and that helped me get into the physique. When we shot, it was so easy because I had been doing that for two years in my head, like fighting with people, doing shadow boxing, I was in the 'Karate Kid' zone. I love action and I wanted to give it all,” he added.

Even though “Yudhra” took over four years to be made, the actor's faith in the script and the support of producers empowered him to stay focused on his training and preparation for the role.

He was confident that “nothing could go wrong” as he had the makers of “Don” backing him.

"At that time, action had not peaked, so we were ahead of the curve. My conviction was so strong with the script as was Farhan and Ritesh sir’s. Any other producer would’ve backed out thinking, ‘It’s a newcomer, new boy, big scale film, not feasible’ but we all had a conviction in the script.” he said.

Chaturvedi is happy that he came to the film after showcasing his versatality in other projects be it “Gehraiyaan” or coming-of-age drama “Kho Gaye Hum Kahan”.

In a way, (the gap) helped because as an action hero you need equity, so I did a few films before that and that worked in my favour. It was tough but I was never scared, don’t know why,” he pointed out.

Chaturvedi said “Yudhra” is a unique action film that blends elements of romance and drama. In the film, the actor plays a man with mission who has anger issues.

"In 2019, I can’t count any action films that were coming up. There was a market for action films but not in a slick way. There was a roundtable with Ayushmann (Khurrana), and Ranveer (Singh) they were like, ‘We don’t make slick action films.’ This was right after I had signed it (‘Yudhra’),” he said.

"Then ‘War’, ‘Pathaan’ and all of these films came, but I still feel this film is different from that. It is a different attempt (at action films), it is not just based on violence or for effect, it has a great story, it has twists and turns, and it is a roller coaster ride along with romance, action, and everything,” the actor said.

"Yudhra” also features Malvika Mohanan, Raj Arjun, Ram Kapoor and Gajraj Rao in pivotal roles. It is slated to be released in theatres on September 20.