MH’s April issue

From Men’s Health Cover Model 

To B’Town Biggie

Men’s Health discovery Sidharth Malhotra comes back to where it all started for him: a cover for MH’s April issue, seven years after his maiden cover shoot!

 

Did you know that actor Sidharth Malhotra was a Men’s Health cover model, much before he became Karan Johar’s Student of the Year’? As a young, slightly gawky 22-year-old, he made it to the cover of the magazine in February 2007 and turned enough heads to move to Mumbai, first to find a job as an assistant to Karan Johar when he made My Name Is Khan, and then making his debut as a movie star himself.

 

Cut to April 2014, and Sid raises a toast to his body—of work, that is—by becoming the first person to ever appear for the second time on the cover of MH India. “A lot has changed in the last seven years since I first shot for MH… the biggest change is that I am much more confident about myself now,” says he. From being just another part-time model who became an assistant director because he wanted to get out of the rut, to eventually blossom into a major league Bollywood star, Sid is uncharacteristically unabashed, and forthcoming, about the life lessons he learnt along the way. And somewhere in between, this Delhi boy says he corrected a lot that was wrong with his life: trading his lean frame with one of B’Town’s most coveted six-packs, nervousness for surefooted confidence… awkwardness with panache! 

And while his abs blind you momentarily, there is enough of his pedigree and talent shining through in this latest photoshoot. Talking of those days of struggle, before he was ‘discovered’ by MH, Sid says he never let patience and determination desert him. Says he: “When I moved to Mumbai to become an actor, there were many other model friends who shifted base with me. They would go for auditions and then wait endlessly for the phone call to come. That wasn’t acceptable for me. Waiting for opportunity is time wasted. So I started off as an assistant director. There was no guarantee that I would be launched, but it helped me understand my goal better. Life is all about making the correct choices, and keep doing things that will take you closer to your goals.”

Fitness, he says, remains the bedrock of his success and impacts everything he does in life. “To be stylish, you need to be fit. If you have a good physique, you can make even a basic pair of blue denims and white shirt look good.” 

Says Jamal Shaikh, Editorial Director of Men’s Health: “When I first saw Sidharth Malhotra shoot for us even before Men’s Health was launched, he wasn’t half as confident as he is now, but had a magnetism about him. He made it to the cover in his second try, and it is a matter of great pride for us to call him a Men’s Health discovery. MH promotes drive and determination, and Sidharth is a great example of how focus and hard work can bring you success.”

ABOUT MEN’S HEALTH

Men's Health has consistently been India's largest-selling men's magazine since it was launched in November 2006. Commonly called MH, it is the friend, mentor and guide that provides its readers with well-researched, scientifically-ratified advice on every aspect of a man's life. It covers fitness, health, nutrition and weight-loss, fashion and grooming, sex and relationships, career and stress and a variety of other topics, making it a wholesome lifestyle publication for the ambitious, forward-thinking Indian male.

With 39 editions worldwide and a presence in over 46 countries, Men's Health is the world's largest men's magazine.