New Delhi, Aug 13: He made a successful Bollywood debut with "Student Of The Year" in 2012 and managed to garner a fan base with his good looks in the initial years of career. The past couple of years, however, have been rough for Sidharth Malhotra. The audience wasnt quite impressed with his films such as "Baar Baar Dekho", "A Gentleman" and "Aiyaari", which turned out to be duds at box office.

"Rome was not built in one day, It takes time to create something great. Similarly, one should not analyse an actor's growth by one particular film. I know there were films that did not do well and I would be lying if I say failure does not affect me. It affects me, but I know how to deal with it. I maintain a positive outlook," Sidharth told IANS.

He added: "Criticism and failure motivate me, and add fire to my belly. These things push me to try something new and different everytime. Sometimes, thing go in your favour, at other times they do not. It does not mean you should stop putting in your best. It's part of the journey. There are so many superstars in our country who are still working. Even they must have gone through hard times. It's a matter of working hard."

Sidharth admitted social media has now become one of the biggest critics.

"What your film is about, what's the content, how one has performed - everything comes out on social media within seconds. You can read what people have written about you or what they feel about you. Whether they like your acting or not, they will put it out on the Internet. It's the same with social media. It has become easy to know where you are going wrong or where you are lacking, or what the audience wants from you. Each person is a critic now," he said.

He cautions about the misuse of social media in the same breath: "Sometimes people misuse social media platform, too. Many use it to create negativity. One should not encourage hatred on such platforms. It is a tool meant for positive issues. Let's educate and create awareness about several issues through it. Let's encourage good things on it."

Sidharth's latest release "Jabariya Jodi" cast him opposite Parineeti Chopra. Currently, he is preparing for "Shershaah", where he plays the role Captain Vikram Batra, who laid down his life in the service of the nation while recapturing Indian territories from Pakistani intruders during the Kargil War of 1999.

Criticism adds fire to my belly: Sidharth Malhotra