“Audience has the ultimate power,” says Karan Johar’s newbie, Siddharth Malhotra

While most newcomers usually take a while to comprehend the industry and understand the finer points of Bollywood that can only be learned with experience, Karan Johar’s protégé Siddharth Malhotra seems to have mastered it all from his mentor! The newcomer made his debut in Karan Johar’s fifth film, Student of the Year, playing the lead alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.

“I was always the quiet one around on the sets and used to observe the proceedings. So one day Karan came up to me and told me what his father, Mr. Yash Johar told him once, that goes, 'If you ever have to invest in something, invest in people.' That was very interesting. I was an AD at that time,” says Siddharth, speaking about the wisdom imparted to him by his mentor Karan Johar. According to the youngster, it’s the audience who matters most in the success of the film. “Yes! Audience has the ultimate power, especially the youth. If you are not liked, no matter by whom you are backed by or whoever's son or daughter you are, it's game over for you.”

And that’s not all. Siddharth also seems to understand the difference between gossip and news that matters. “Everything written in the media should not be taken seriously. It's a mental game. You need to detach yourself from reviews, media, etc. How to survive before and after release too matters a lot. So the audience is finally the one who gives you the green signal whether you will survive in this industry or not, and nobody else,” added Siddharth.