After tasting success with Shershaah in 2021, will 2022 be the year of Sidharth Malhotra?

The year 2022 marks 10 years of Sidharth Malhotra in the film industry. And from the looks of it, the actor is all set to stamp his authority on Bollywood this year. In the ten years so far, Sidharth has shared success commercially but it was 2021 that saw him turn into a bankable star of note. As he turns 37 on Sunday, we take a look at how 2022 promises to be the year of Sidharth Malhotra.

Between his debut in Student of the Year in 2012 and Marjaavan in 2019, Sidharth appeared in 11 films, including the two. And while he did get some moderate success, the solo blockbuster eluded him. Similarly, his performances were largely well-received but the critical breakthrough remained unattainable.

It was 2021 that finally gave him both, belatedly, and in the same film. He tasted critical acclaim and solo success in the form of Shershaah. Even though due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film released on Amazon Prime Video instead of theatres, it can still be considered the biggest success of Sidharth’s career.

Perhaps, one indicator of its success can be the fact that two weeks after the film’s release, Amazon Prime Video shared that Shershaah had become the most watched Hindi film in the platform’s history. The streaming platform shared in a statement on September 1 that the film has been watched by audiences in over 4,100 Indian towns and cities as well as in 210 countries and territories around the world.

Even Sidharth himself admitted that the film led to a change in people’s attitude towards him. Speaking to PTI last year, Sidharth had said, “I always wanted that my work should be my identity and I should be praised for that. I am very happy that people associate themselves with my character in the film and are feeling and feeling something. My main aim of working in films is that I can connect people to him. Shershaah has definitely changed people’s attitude towards me. The kind of character I choose to play will definitely change people’s views.”

But most importantly, Sidharth believes that post the film’s success, the attitude of the industry will also change now. “The success of Shershaah has made a lot of things easy for me. If I have any suggestion or idea for any future film, I am sure the director and producer will think it over,” he told PTI.

Sidharth invested five years of his life into making Shershaah, which told the story of war hero Captain Vikram Batra. Sidharth portrayed the late Param Vir Chakra as well as his twin Vishal Batra. Considering the film came after a string of unsuccessful projects like A Gentleman and Aiyaari, the film revived Sidharth’s career. “It gives you a great sense of validation that your instincts were not wrong. Now we can say all the decisions we made were in the correct direction. It is satisfying, emotional,” he told PTI.

This year could be a game-changer for the actor. He is set to appear in three films in 2022, starting with spy thriller Mission Majnu opposite Rashmika Mandanna, scheduled to release in May. This will be followed by comedy Thank God with Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh, which releases in July, and finally the action thriller Yodha opposite Disha Patani and Raashi Khanna in November.

Also read: Yodha first look: Sidharth is ‘fastening’ seat belt for KJo’s first action film

This slate not only gives him visibility throughout the year but also a chance to be seen in diverse films. In two of the films, he is the sole lead and in the third, he shares screen space with one of the most bankable stars in Bollywood. For his sake, Sidharth would want all of them to succeed. But even if they don’t, Shershaah has meant the actor has established himself among a higher tier of stars in Bollywood.