SiddharthTamil Playback Singer – Song Lyrics & Movies

After completing his business management studies, Siddharth chose to work in film making and assisted Mani Ratnam, before going on to make an acting debut in S. Shankar's coming-of-age Tamil film Boys (2003). The success of the film provided an opportunity to feature in Mani Ratnam's multi-starrer Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004), before he branched off to receive critical and commercial acclaim in Telugu and Hindi cinema through Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana (2005), Rang De Basanti and Bommarillu (2006). The former earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. In the late 2000s, he established himself as a bankable lead actor in Telugu films and subsequently chose to become more selective with his projects, while also winning acclaim for playing a carrom player in Striker (2010) and a blind warrior in Anaganaga O Dheerudu (2011).

In 2011, Siddharth returned to Tamil films after a sabbatical and produced Balaji Mohan's commercially successful romantic comedy Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012). The actor then had a prolific year in 2014, winning critical acclaim and box office success for his two ventures: Jigarthanda, where he portrayed an aspiring film maker, and Kaaviya Thalaivan, in which he played an actor from the 1920s Madras theater scene. The latter earned him Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. Following few unsuccessful films, Siddharth has received commercial success with Aranmanai 2 (2016), Sivappu Manjal Pachai (2019) and Chithha (2023). Chithha earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

Alongside his acting career, Siddharth is a philanthropist and celebrity endorser. He is married to actress Aditi Rao Hydari.

Siddharth was born on 17 April 1979 in a Tamil-speaking Brahmin family in Madras (present-day Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. He began his education at D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School, Madras and then studied at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Delhi. He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree from Kirori Mal College, New Delhi. Siddharth participated extensively in extra-curricular activities during college, serving as the president of the college's debating society and attending the World Debating Championships. He then went on to complete his MBA from S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, while also ultimately winning a speaking skills competition which earned him the CNBC Manager of the year award in 1999.

Siddharth's first tryst with media came through dubbing for the Banish mosquito repellent ad in eight different languages in 1988, as instructed by his father's close friend, ad director-cum-film director, Jayendra Panchapakesan. He noted that he knew he was headed for a career in films since childhood, showing particular fascination for writing and directing, and thus only signed up for business school as a "safety cushion" as insisted upon by his father. He then briefly pursued amateur theatre during his time in Delhi through live stage performances with the theatre group Players, while also honing his writing and directorial skills.

After finishing his education, he apprenticed with ad film maker Jayendra and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, who both helped him join as an assistant director for Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal. He worked on the film throughout 2001, also making an uncredited appearance as a passenger on a bus. The script writer of that film, Sujatha, was insistent that Siddharth audition for Shankar's ongoing project Boys (2003), where the director had hoped to cast new actors. After consulting with Mani Ratnam, Siddharth met Shankar for an audition and was signed on the following day to play the lead role of Munna. Siddharth shot for the film in 2002 alongside fellow debutants Genelia D'Souza, Bharath, Nakul, Thaman and Manikandan, while also suffering an injury which led to him being hospitalised for three days. The story centred on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of a good education and career over other distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much hype and publicity prior to release. The film opened to mixed reviews but emerged as a success at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as "excellent". Before the release of Boys, Siddharth signed on to feature in his mentor Mani Ratnam's political drama film, Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004) where he played the student Arjun Balakrishnan, a role which he described was similar to his real life persona. Featuring in an ensemble cast including Madhavan, Suriya and Trisha, Siddharth revealed that the sync sound method of filming that the team had employed, worked in his favour, as he was able to draw experience from his stage performances. The film was released in May 2004 to positive reviews, with a critic from The Hindu noting Siddharth's portrayal as "neat", while another reviewer noted that Siddharth "is cool and discovers his comic side with some great one-liners."