Sidharth Malhotra talks about rumoured ex-girlfriend Alia Bhatt, says she will always remain a friend

New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra has always remained tight-lipped about his private life. Sidharth made his Bollywood debut with Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year' in the year 2012. The film also marked Bollywood debut of Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. After the release of the film, Sidharth and Alia were rumoured to be dating for a long time but none of them ever accepted or denied the rumour. Their break-up was equally hush.

Soon after that, Alia started making public appearances with Ranbir Kapoor. The actress now regularly shares pictures with Ranbir and rumour mills are rife that the two are in a serious relationship. Recently on Ranbir's birthday, his mother Neetu Kapoor shared a picture with her son and it also had Alia and her mother Soni Razdan! 'Raila' haven't officially accepted their relationship but it is evident that they are definitely more than just friends!

In an interview with Filmfare, Sidharth Malhotra was asked if he will always consider Alia to be his friend. To this, the actor replied, “Of course. We started our journey together, we have done two films. Varun, Alia and I have a deep connect. We've shared many emotions and experiences together. So the bond will always remain.”

The actor was also asked about how he views love today.

To this, he replied, “While in college, love was just smiling at a girl and her smiling back at you. Then it was about going for parties and dinners and sneaking into her house because her parents wouldn't allow you to meet her. In Mumbai, love was hanging out with your girlfriend without moral policing. As an actor, it's now about how you're perceived in the media. 
I wasn't used to this kind of attention on my personal life. I'm a private person. Love would now mean a relationship, which is authentic, regardless of my profession. It should have a sense of normalcy despite all the media attention. (Smiles) Oddly, my mother is pretty well- behaved. She doesn't ask me anything. She just said, Take your time, take it easy, there's no hurry to settle down. I guess, before I turn 40, I'll settle down. Let's see. I still have seven years.”