Siddhant Chaturvedi Says Bollywood Needs More Films Like Laapataa Ladies: ‘Our Cinema Needs Heartland Truth’ | Bollywood News
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Siddhant Chaturvedi at IFP Season 15 says Bollywood needs more heartland stories like Laapataa Ladies and better access for small-town writers to reconnect with audiences.
At IFP Season 15, Siddhant Chaturvedi urged the Hindi film industry to embrace more heartland stories like Laapataa Ladies and give small-town writers better access.
The fifteenth season of IFP, the world’s leading platform celebrating Creativity X Culture, opened with high energy at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio on November 29. Among the most anticipated guests of Day 1 was actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who drew a packed house for his candid, lively, and unfiltered session titled Rooted in Reality with Vaibhav Munjal.
Across the hour-long conversation, Siddhant delved into what he calls the “Spiritual Truth” of filmmaking, his acting method, the identity crisis facing Hindi cinema, and why India urgently needs more heartland stories. With humour and honesty, he kept the audience in splits one moment and deep in thought the next—especially when speaking about writers, Gen-Z audiences, and an unforgettable airport mix-up.
“We Need Stories Like Laapataa Ladies”
One of the strongest themes Siddhant returned to was the lack of access for storytellers outside Mumbai’s narrow film circles.
He explained bluntly, “The writers are not getting access, as much access as we want. We need stories from the tier 2, tier 3. And not only massy stories, but we need a lot of stories like Laapataa Ladies.”
He added that the industry’s geography itself acts as a gatekeeper.
“Those writers are not getting access because the whole industry is concentrated in Bombay. And in Bombay also, it’s Juhu, Bandra, or max Andheri. So if a writer from Bhopal, Gwalior, Ballia, or Banaras comes here, I don’t think he’ll get access. Because maybe he doesn’t know English.”
His call for decentralisation drew loud applause from the audience.
The identity Crisis Of Hindi Cinema
Siddhant didn’t shy away from addressing why mainstream Hindi cinema is struggling to meaningfully connect with audiences today.
He pointed out an often-ignored cultural disconnect, “Today, Hindi actors and actresses, whenever there are interviews in Hindi—if you watch any interview—it starts in Hindi. And after saying two lines in Hindi, they don’t even realise when they subconsciously switch to English. So the audience gets disconnected.”
With content from across the world at their fingertips, Siddhant said young audiences are sharp and discerning.
“Our young audiences, Gen-Z, already have access to Netflix, Korean cinema, and Hollywood. But I think they will also appreciate something like Laapataa Ladies, which shows them the culture.”
He added with admiration, “I think Gen Z is the smartest. They can point out the truth. They know if a story is coming from the right passion or truth, or not. I feel our cinema needs to get back to its glory. We need to just have more access to the heartland of India.”
Do actors feel competition from content creators? Siddhant answers
When asked whether creators and influencers are now competing with actors for attention, Siddhant responded without defensiveness.
“If you are saying that we have competition, yes, we do. But back in the day, we had so many leading stars—Bachchan Saab, Dharamji, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Shammi ji, Rishi ji, Sanjeev Kumar. Even then, there was competition to hold attention.”
For him, the core principle remains unchanged, “A good film will always sustain, and good content will always stay with you.”
“Bro, Samay Raina”: The Airport Anecdote That Left The Audience Howling
In true Siddhant fashion, he capped the session with a laugh-out-loud story about being mistaken for comedian Samay Raina at the airport.
He recalled, “I think I was travelling back from Kerala. And suddenly, a guy was looking at me from afar. He came up to me and was like, ‘I am a huge fan of yours. I have watched everything of yours.’”
After the fan took a selfie, the confusion kicked in.
“He asked, ‘Tell me one thing, why did your show shut down?’ I said, ‘Inside Edge 3 has happened… the season is over.’ He said it was hilarious. I got confused, man.”
The twist arrived moments later. “He walked to his friend and went, ‘Bro, Samay Raina.’”
The crowd at IFP Season 15 erupted with laughter.
A Session Packed With Honesty, Humour And Cultural Insight
From championing writers from small-town India to praising Gen-Z for their intuition, Siddhant Chaturvedi used the IFP stage to address some of the sharpest questions facing contemporary Hindi cinema. His mix of candour, humour, and cultural commentary made Rooted in Reality one of the standout sessions of the festival’s milestone edition.
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun…Read More
Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun… Read More
November 30, 2025, 14:39 IST
