I’d like to promote outdoor fitness: Sidharth Malhotra

Sidharth Malhotra says that the lack of playgrounds and open spaces in Mumbai has compelled him to think about outdoor sport

For Delhi boy Sidharth Malhotra, the first change he noticed when he moved to Mumbai, was lack of space. Delhi colleges are known for their never-ending campuses and Sidharth was the lucky few to have witnessed that while growing up. But the 32 year old actor, who was has been in Mumbai for the past nine years says that he would want to promote outdoor fitness, especially among Mumbai kids.

This interest to do something more than just acting was brought about by age, says Sidharth. “I turned 30 two years ago. So what happens with early 30s is that you feel like you want to give back to the society and make a difference.This year, I am hoping that I am able to arrange or get an organization or trip up with them to promote outdoor fitness. That is the plan,” says the Baar Baar Dekho actor.

He adds that it was surprising for him to see Mumbai kids have no exposure to empty spaces or playgrounds. “I was surprised to see that Mumbai has schools that don’t even have ground for kids to play. Since I am from Delhi, I am used to having huge football fields. The facilities, just in terms of infrastructure were amazing. And back then we were like, ‘Kya har roz khelna hai’. But now, I realise we were so lucky to have these facilities. I would like to address this issue in Mumbai since I have been here now for eight years. I would want to devote some time and energy to promote outdoor activities for kids. It is definitely on my list of priorities but I don’t know how I am going to go about doing it.”

While he is championing for more open spaces in Mumbai, the fitness conscious actor also reveals that he would never ask his parents to move from Delhi. “Just the way, they respect my space, I am doing the same. They have their friend circle, relatives, everyone in Delhi. They have spent their entire life there so it would be very unfair of me to expect them to give all that up and move to Mumbai. Of course, I would want to spend more time with them. When I was in Bangkok recently, I realised how much I missed family time and chatter. So spending more time with family is also top most priority,” says Sidharth.