Siddharth responds to Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's call to raise drug awareness: ‘We do things on our conscience’

At the press meet for Indian 2 in Hyderabad, actor Siddharth said that ‘every actor is socially responsible’ enough to do what's needed.

According to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, actors who seek permission for outdoor film shoots or wish to increase ticket prices during releases should create videos to raise awareness about drug abuse and cybercrime. In contrast, Siddharth firmly believes that actors are inherently socially responsible, and such mandates are unnecessary. (Also Read: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy appreciates Chiranjeevi; says Tollywood should raise drug awareness)

Siddharth plays one of the leads in Shankar's Indian 2.

‘No CM has told us…’

While promoting Shankar’s Indian 2 in Hyderabad, a reporter asked if actors are ‘socially responsible’, giving the example of the Telangana CM asking for videos in return for help during movie shooting or release. While the question was asked to all the actors present there, Siddharth answered, telling Kamal Haasan and Rakul Preet Singh they didn’t need to.

He said, “My name is Siddharth; Telugu people have seen me work for 20 years. I cooperated with the government between 2005 and 2011, held a condom in my hand, and promoted safe sex on billboards in a united Andhra Pradesh. That was me being responsible, not because a CM told me to. In the same way, every actor is socially responsible; we do things on our conscience. Whichever CM requests us to do something, we will do it. No CM has told us; only if you do this will we do something else.”

About Indian 2

Shankar’s Indian 2 will be released in Telugu as Bharateeyudu 2 and in Hindi as Hindustani 2. The film is a sequel to his 1996 hit film Indian, which also starred Kamal. The actor will reprise his role as Senapathy for the film - a freedom fighter turned vigilante who wants to curb corruption in the country. The sequel also stars Siddharth and Rakul in the lead roles. Kajal Aggarwal has also shot for the film, but her portions will be released in Indian 3. The film has been in production for long and will be released on July 12.