Siddharth Nigam, the 24-year-old actor from Prayagraj, unexpectedly found his way to Bollywood as a child actor. When he got a call from Mumbai to play the young version of superstar Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3, neither Siddharth nor his family could believe it to be true. Over the years, Siddharth became a familiar face on television and kids’ shows. In a recent conversation with Hindustan Times, Siddharth shares how, coming from a modest background with no connections in the industry, the opportunity felt surreal.
Siddharth Nigam on his unlikely debut in Bollywood
Not many actors can say their first film was a Yash Raj Films (YRF) production, but Siddharth was one of the lucky few who debuted in cinema with a project as massive as Dhoom 3. Recalling the surprise at getting casting director, Shanoo Sharma’s call from YRF to come to Mumbai, and how he and his family thought it to be a fake call, Siddharth told Hindustan Times:
“When Yash Raj (Films) called me, Shanoo ma’am (casting director Shanoo Sharma) called me, we were scared. We had nobody in Mumbai where they were calling us. Where will we go? I literally wondered if it was a fake call. I am a Crime Patrol and Savdhaan India audience. I thought Mumbai bula ke bech diya to dikkat ho jayegi. I genuinely had no idea what Yash Raj Films is and who Shanoo ma’am is.”
