So, here’s a publicity stunt that has fallen flat. Eyeballs popped when Sidharth Malhotra changed his Instagram and Twitter picture to black. He even changed his bio to 'Off', tweeting, “Sorry I am done!”

Fans were gobsmacked wondering what could have led the very popular Sid to quit social media so suddenly. After all, there hadn’t been any controversies to prompt such drastic action. The mystery deepened, as Sid quit without replying to his fans' questions and doubts.

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However, the truth emerges. The reason for his apparent quitting comes from the tweet of a fan, who reveals it is a unique promotional strategy for Aiyaary. The message, by team Aiyaary, speaks about the digital activity for Aiyaary with Sidharth Malhotra, and informs the team to “make as much noise about it as possible”. “The  hashtag is #Sid’sOffTheGrid,” says the message. “We want you to speculate reasons as to why he’s gone, where he is, is something wrong with him. Let’s make Sid trend all day, guys!”

The cat is out of the bag, but we are still interested in Sid’s upcoming release on January 26, which also stars Manoj Bajpayee in a key role. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, Sid will be seen playing the role of an Army officer. Earlier today, the makers unveiled a new still, before they release the much-awaited poster of the film on December 16. Manoj Bajpayee and Sidharth Malhotra, who play mentor and protégé, are to be seen looking dashing in uniform. An accompanying note by Neeraj Pandey informs that the word ‘aiyaary’ means the ultimate trickery, which perfectly defines what a soldier resorts to in the face of extreme crisis. Pandey states that when a soldier uses his intelligence, sharpness and wit in such situations, it not only bedazzles his own troop but also earns him the respect of his enemies.

The film is based on a true incident involving two army officers. The intense crime-drama follows two strong-minded individuals who have completely different views, but are both right in their own way.

Like we said, we don’t need Sid to go off the grid to get excited about this one!