Karthikeya 2: Nikhil Siddharth opens up on film's success, Bollywood debut and upcoming projects [EXCLUSIVE]  

Actor Nikhil who delivered a massive hit in the form of Karthikeya 2 opened up about his upcoming projects and more in a candid chat with us.

Actor Nikhil Siddharth needs no introduction. This heartthrob is currently enjoying the success of his recent blockbuster flick Karthikeya 2. This thriller has done absolutely and amazingly well not just at the Telugu box office, but as well in the other languages too. Directed by Chandoo Mondeti, Karthikeya 2 recently is streaming on Zee5 now after running successfully in the theatres. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Life, here is what Nikhil has to say about the success, euphoria, response from the audiences, Bollywood debut and his upcoming pan India film Spy.

First of all Nikhil… Congratulations on the success of the film. Karthikeya 2 broke many records and did tremendously well at the box office. This is not something you guys didn’t see coming. So how does this feel.

Thank you. It feels like a dream. Two months since the release and it is still running in theatres. What more can I ask for? It is definitely a dream come true. Karthikeya 2 proved that if you are coming with a film with content that is watchable, nothing can stop the audiences from coming to the theatres. Irrespective of where you come from, and what language you speak, you can entertain the audiences.

I am overwhelmed with all the love from the audiences. They have given us the confidence and courage to come up with many of such stories in the future. I would like to thank them and the media as well for supporting us. And to those influencers on social media, who owned this film and promoted it so much, thanks to you.

Did you ever think this film was going to be such big hit?

We were confident that would be a hit and we had certain expectations too. But the way it crossed boundaries, we didn’t think at all. It collected 2 million dollars overseas and in India, we are still counting. We blindly believed in telling a story that we were sure would impress everyone irrespective of their age.

Whose call was it to release the film in other languages too?

I and Chandoo had this thought in mind and we shared it with our producers. Abhishek Agarwal is popular in Bollywood and other industries too for making another amazing film called Kashmir Files which again needs no introduction. I thank them for encouraging our thought, and took the risk of releasing the film in multiple languages though it cost them a bomb. All of us were confident that every penny we spent would definitely come back to us.

How has the response been from the media and audiences besides the ones from Telugu states?

It is lovely. The kind of love they have showered on us, and how much they are impressed with Telugu films, it is so visible. Anupam Kher sir organised a show for a press show in Mumbai and the response from the media after the screening is something I will never forget. Coming to the audiences, I remember three elderly women walking towards me after a public show in one of the cities. They said, “Thanks for making this film.” It was such a warm feeling.

We tried releasing Karthikeya in Tamil Nadu. But that didn’t happen for various reasons. But we are glad we could do Karthikeya 2 and did it well there too.

What next? Making debut in Bollywood?

I don’t really need a Bollywood debut especially after seeing the love the audiences have showered on me. But yes, I did received offers. In fact many showed interest in collaborating for my upcoming films. I hope that will work for Spy. Spy is again a pan India film with a story that has never been told till date. It is about one of the top secrets of India. It is also going to be big.