Hindi film actor Sidharth Malhotra gets a piece of Middle Earth
Hemant Parikh – 
When Sidharth Malhotra told his friends of his impending visit to New Zealand, all they said was ‘Wow, what a great adventure!”
It was then that the young ‘Student of the Year’ decided that he will begin by walking around the perimeter of Auckland’s tallest building, the Sky Tower at a height of 192 meters!
With safety gear, Sidharth stepped on the narrow pathway only to realise that this was the best way to kick-start his New Zealand adventure.
At life’s edge
Taking in a bird’s eye view of Auckland, its hills, the harbour and the islands beyond, he said, “Walking around the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere was absolutely fantastic. I could not have asked for a better kick-start for my trip. I literally felt like living life on the edge. I definitely recommend my brother Akshay (Kumar) to do this,” he said.
The Skywalk takes place 192 metres above Auckland City whereby visitors walk the circumference of Auckland’s famous Sky Tower.
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high-fantasy series directed by New Zealander Sir Peter Jackson It is loved by actors in the Indian film industry including ‘Brothers’ star Sidharth Malhotra.
Celebrated Workshop
When he realised that Weta Workshop could transform him into one of his favourite characters from the Trilogy, he could not wait to go and try it out.
WETA is a one stop destination for all Lord of the Rings lovers since most of the movie was shot in New Zealand and the post-production was done at this award winning workshop.
As Founder and Creative Director Sir Richard Taylor conducted a tour of the Workshop, the team transformed Sidharth into an elf!
He could not believe his eyes when he looked into the mirror and realised that there is so much work that goes into the creation of every character.
“Weta Workshop is a place where the unimaginable comes alive. I was stunned when I looked at myself in an elf avatar. The team here is extremely talented and it was a great honour to meet Sir Richard. I was ready for a battle to save Middle-Earth with all the armour on me,” he said.
He received ‘The One Ring’ from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ collection.
Key Meeting
As the Brand Ambassador of Tourism New Zealand for India, he met Prime Minster John Key, who is keen to promote New Zealand worldwide.
Mr Key presented Sidharth with an All Blacks jersey at an official gathering in Wellington.
Sidharth said there were avenues to promote adventure tourism in India.
He discussed with Mr Key existing and emerging opportunities for the Indian films fraternity to shoot beautiful locations in New Zealand.
“I feel privileged to be immersed in the Kiwi culture. I experienced the warm Kiwi hospitality,” he said.
Hemant Parikh is Programme Presenter, Sales Executive, and a livewire at Radio Tarana. There is hardly a community, religious or sports event at which he is not present.
