At the 15th edition of India Film Project (IFP) held at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai on November 29, Siddhant Chaturvedi took centre stage in a candid conversation titled ‘Rooted in Reality’. During the session, he spoke openly about his journey, the current state of Hindi cinema, and why stories set in real India matter more than ever.

Siddhant Chaturvedi gets candid on Hindi Cinema: “I feel our cinema needs to get back to its glory”

When asked about competition from content creators, Siddhant responded without hesitation: “If you are saying that we have competition, yes, we do,” but added that true content retains power. He reflected on the golden era of Hindi cinema: “Back in the day, we had so many leading stars – Bachchan Saab, Dharamji, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Shammi ji, Rishi ji, Sanjeev Kumar. Even then, there was competition to hold attention. Because there was no other medium. But I feel a good film will always sustain, and good content will always stay with you.”

Siddhant also addressed another major concern: limited access for writers from smaller cities. He said, “The writers are not getting access, as much access as we want. We need stories from the tier 2, tier 3. And not only massy stories, but we need a lot of stories like Laapataa Ladies. Those writers are not getting access because the whole industry is concentrated in Bombay. And in Bombay also, it’s Juhu, Bandra, or max Andheri. So if a writer from Bhopal, Gwalior, Ballia, or Banaras comes here, I don’t think he’ll get access. Because maybe he doesn’t know English.”

The actor also spoke about a growing disconnect between mainstream cinema and audiences blaming language and cultural shifts. “Today, Hindi actors and actresses, whenever there are interviews in Hindi, if you watch any interview – it starts in Hindi. And after saying two lines in Hindi, they don’t even realise when they subconsciously switch to English. So the audience gets disconnected.”

Yet, he ended on a hopeful note: praising young audiences, especially Gen Z, for their awareness. “I think Gen Z is the smartest. They can point out the truth. They know if a story is coming from the right passion or truth, or not. I feel our cinema needs to get back to its glory. We need to just have more access to the heartland of India.”

Siddhant blended insight with humour remembering a fan at the airport who mistook him for a comedian and asked, “Why did your show shut down?” That light-hearted anecdote underscored his ability to balance depth with relatability.

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