Sidharth Malhotra (; born 16 January 1985) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including nominations for two Filmfare Awards. Malhotra appeared in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list from 2016 to 2018.
Malhotra began his career as a fashion model before moving into filmmaking, working as an assistant director to Karan Johar on My Name Is Khan (2010). He made his acting debut with Johar's teen film Student of the Year (2012), which was a commercial success and earned him a Filmfare Best Male Debut nomination and the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Male. He subsequently appeared in Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Ek Villain (2014), Kapoor & Sons (2016) and a range of romantic, dramatic, mystery and action projects.
Malhotra's portrayal of Vikram Batra in Shershaah became a major milestone in his career. The film became Prime Video's most-watched film in India at the time of its release and reached audiences in more than 4,100 Indian towns and cities and 210 countries and territories. He subsequently expanded into streaming with the lead role in Indian Police Force (2024), followed by the action thriller Yodha, the romantic comedy Param Sundari (2025), and the fantasy folklore film The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest (2026).
Apart from acting, Malhotra has worked as a brand ambassador and received repeated recognition for fashion and style. He is married to actress Kiara Advani, with whom he has a daughter. Early life and family Malhotra was born in Delhi, India into a Punjabi family, to Sunil Malhotra, a former captain in the Merchant Navy, and Rimma Malhotra, a homemaker. His father was a Hindu while his mother is Sikh, and he identifies with both religions, growing up being influenced by Ramayana stories through his paternal grandmother while he frequented Delhi's Gurdwara Bangla Sahib due to his mother's influence.
Malhotra was educated at Don Bosco School (Alaknanda, New Delhi), and at Naval Public School, Delhi. He then graduated from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi. At the age of 18, he began modelling. Although he was successful, he decided to quit after four years because he was dissatisfied with the profession.
Career Breakthrough and early commercial success (2012–2016)
Keenly interested in pursuing a film career, Malhotra successfully auditioned for a film to be directed by Anubhav Sinha. However, the film was shelved, and he instead worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar on the 2010 film My Name Is Khan, where one of his fellow assistants was aspiring actor Varun Dhawan. Malhotra made his acting debut in Karan Johar's teen film Student of the Year (2012), alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. He portrayed Abhimanyu Singh, an ambitious scholarship student competing for the annual Student of the Year title. The film was a commercial success and earned Malhotra nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and other debut awards.
In 2014, Malhotra appeared in two films. He first starred opposite Parineeti Chopra in Vinil Mathew's romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee, portraying Nikhil Bharadwaj, a struggling businessman whose life changes after he becomes close to his fiancée's estranged sister. The film received generally positive reviews and became a moderate commercial success. Later that year, he played Guru Divekar, a reformed criminal who seeks revenge after the murder of his wife, in Mohit Suri's romantic thriller Ek Villain. The film became a major commercial success and established Malhotra as a leading actor in mainstream Hindi cinema. Malhotra followed this with the 2015 action drama Brothers, directed by Karan Malhotra, in which he portrayed Monty Fernandes, a professional mixed martial arts fighter who faces his estranged brother in the ring. The film marked a departure from his earlier romantic roles and featured him alongside Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff.
In 2016, Malhotra starred in Shakun Batra's family drama Kapoor & Sons, alongside Rishi Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajat Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. He portrayed Arjun Kapoor, an aspiring writer whose return to his family's home brings unresolved tensions to the surface. The film received positive reviews and was a commercial success, further broadening Malhotra's range beyond romantic and action-oriented roles. He next appeared opposite Katrina Kaif in Nitya Mehra's romantic drama Baar Baar Dekho, portraying a mathematician who experiences different stages of his life and comes to reassess his priorities. The film was released in September 2016. Across these years, Malhotra moved from his debut as a newcomer in Student of the Year to a succession of leading roles in romantic comedy, thriller, action and family drama, with Ek Villain and Kapoor & Sons becoming notable commercial successes in his early film career.
Career development and action-oriented roles (2016–2020)
Malhotra continued to expand his range in the latter half of the 2010s, moving between family drama, romantic comedy, mystery, espionage and action-oriented roles. In 2016, he starred alongside Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt and Rishi Kapoor in Shakun Batra's family drama Kapoor & Sons. He portrayed Arjun Kapoor, a young aspiring writer whose return to his family's home brings unresolved tensions within the family to the surface. The film marked a departure from the conventional romantic-lead roles associated with some of his earlier work, and The Indian Express noted the vulnerability he brought to the character.
Later that year, Malhotra starred opposite Katrina Kaif in the romantic comedy Baar Baar Dekho, directed by Nitya Mehra. He played Jai Verma, a mathematician whose life and relationship are explored across different stages of his future. The film combined romance with a time-spanning narrative and marked his first collaboration with Kaif. In 2017, Malhotra took on dual roles for the first time in the action comedy A Gentleman, opposite Jacqueline Fernandez, portraying Gaurav and Rishi, two characters with contrasting personalities and circumstances. He subsequently starred in the mystery thriller Ittefaq alongside Sonakshi Sinha and Akshaye Khanna. A remake of the 1969 film of the same name, Ittefaq centred on conflicting accounts surrounding a double murder, with Malhotra portraying novelist Vikram Sethi, one of the two principal suspects. The role allowed him to portray a morally ambiguous character whose version of events remains central to the film's mystery.
Malhotra next appeared in Neeraj Pandey's espionage thriller Aiyaary (2018), alongside Manoj Bajpayee and Rakul Preet Singh. He played Major Jai Bakshi, a young army officer whose discovery of corruption within the system puts him at odds with his mentor, Colonel Abhay Singh, played by Bajpayee. The film marked Malhotra's first collaboration with Pandey and further extended his work into military and espionage-oriented roles. Ahead of the film's release, Malhotra also described a growth in his ability to portray different shades of emotion after his experience across his earlier films. In 2019, he reunited with Parineeti Chopra in the romantic comedy Jabariya Jodi, portraying Abhay Singh, a man involved in the practice of forced marriages in Bihar. The film combined a romantic storyline with the social issue of groom kidnapping and marked another departure from the urban characters he had frequently played earlier in his career. He then starred in the action drama Marjaavaan, directed by Milap Zaveri, playing Raghu, a character caught in a conflict with a powerful antagonist portrayed by Riteish Deshmukh. The film continued his association with action-oriented roles and reunited him with Deshmukh following their work together in Ek Villain (2014).
Shershaah and subsequent film projects (2021–present)
In 2021, Malhotra starred in the biographical war film Shershaah, directed by Vishnuvardhan and based on the life of Vikram Batra, an Indian Army officer who was killed in action during the Kargil War. Malhotra portrayed both Vikram Batra and his identical twin brother Vishal Batra, opposite Kiara Advani. Released on Amazon Prime Video on 12 August 2021, the film became the platform's most-watched film in India at the time, according to figures reported by the service. It was viewed across more than 4,100 Indian towns and cities and 210 countries and territories. The Indian Express similarly reported its status as Prime Video's most-watched film in India shortly after its release. The film also brought Malhotra several acting honours. Shershaah additionally received awards in categories including Best Film and Best Director at the Filmfare Awards in 2022.
In 2022, Malhotra starred opposite Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh in the fantasy comedy Thank God, directed by Indra Kumar. The film marked his first collaboration with Devgn and represented a departure from the biographical and military setting of Shershaah. In January 2023, Malhotra starred alongside Rashmika Mandanna in the espionage thriller Mission Majnu, directed by Shantanu Bagchi and released directly on Netflix. Set in the 1970s, the film follows an undercover Indian intelligence operative working in Pakistan to uncover a covert nuclear weapons programme. Malhotra portrayed Amandeep Singh, an agent operating under the assumed identity of Tariq.
In January 2024, Malhotra made his lead debut in a streaming series with Indian Police Force, created by Rohit Shetty and directed by Shetty and Sushwanth Prakash. The seven-part Amazon Prime Video series featured him as Kabir Malik, a police officer working with the Delhi Police Special Cell, alongside Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Vivek Oberoi. Prime Video released the series simultaneously in India and more than 240 countries and territories. Malhotra returned to theatrical cinema in March 2024 with the action thriller Yodha, directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha. He portrayed Arun Katyal, an elite soldier who attempts to rescue passengers during a hijacking. The film continued his association with military and action-oriented roles while placing him in a contemporary aviation-based setting. Yodha was subsequently released for streaming on Prime Video in India and internationally.
In 2025, Malhotra starred opposite Janhvi Kapoor in the romantic comedy Param Sundari, directed by Tushar Jalota. The film marked his return to a romantic-comedy setting after several consecutive projects centred on action, military and espionage themes. In 2026, Malhotra starred opposite Tamannaah Bhatia in the fantasy film The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, directed by Deepak Mishra. The film combines romance, adventure, action and supernatural elements and draws on Indian folklore surrounding the Van Devi Temple. The Vvaan was released theatrically on 25 September 2026.
Personal life
Malhotra and actress Alia Bhatt, his co-star in Student of the Year (2012), were widely reported to have been in a relationship. In February 2019, following their breakup, Malhotra discussed their relationship on Koffee with Karan, describing it as civil and acknowledging their shared history. Bhatt subsequently said that the two had met after their breakup and continued to have mutual respect for each other.
Malhotra was subsequently linked to actress Kiara Advani, with whom he worked in Shershaah (2021). Although the two did not publicly confirm their relationship before their marriage, reports of their association became prominent in the years preceding their wedding. They married on 7 February 2023 at Suryagarh in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in a private Hindu wedding ceremony. They subsequently held wedding receptions in Delhi and Mumbai.