Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; June 22, 2012)

Sidhartha Mallya

He is liquor baron, Vijay Mallya’s son, but Sidhartha Mallya seems determined to chalk out a persona that’s not a copy, but as distinct as his father’s.

The poster-boy of the corporate world, Sidhartha at 25 shifted to India after he completed his graduation, and is pretty sure of what he wants and is unfazed by tags like ‘bad boy’ in social circles. “What do I say?I can give you 101 examples of people who behave in a certain way to create a perception. You can tell when someone is fake. I have never been fake,” he says, adding, “I‘ve never gone out of my way to portray myself as a bad boy. Nor have I ever gone out of my way to portray myself as a saint. I am neither. I have been called all sorts of things — playboy, bad boy, this boy, that boy but I am not going to change myself. Being a bad boy is pretty cool. I’d rather be called a bad boy than a saint. I actually feel flattered that people are taking time out of their busy schedules to discuss me.”

The young scion, who owns a cricket team and an F1 team, seems quite at ease in front of the camera. “I am very comfortable in front of the camera. I can talk for hours in front of an audience. In school I have always been a part of debates, talks, extra curricular activities, plays, poetry recitals and the works,” he says. So, the stories of him taking to films could not be off-the-cuff. Is it true that he’s set to take the acting plunge? “I have to see. It’s not something I have done before, and obviously if opportunities come your way, you can’t shut the door. You have to evaluate every opportunity and see how it goes,” says Sid.

Besides his interest in sports, Sidhartha has also been written about for his rumoured relationship with Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone. Broach the topic with him, and he absolutely refuses to talk about it. “I didn’t react at all. Did I? When so much of your life is being portrayed in the open, certain things you want to keep to yourself.There were certain things we didn’t want to comment about. Or else what’s the point of living your life like an open book?” he asks.

Considering he’s never short of female attention, does it flatter him? “It’s superb. I mean, which 25-year-old single guy is going to say he doesn’t enjoy it,” Sid smiles cheekily.