Arjun Kapoor : It’s All About Love

Submitted by starblockbuster on Sat, 2014-04-12 00:43
The angry young man on turning a romantic, his career aspirations and more...
By Lipika Varma
How do you look at the promotional activities?
My outlook for promotional activities is somewhat similar to the phrase double edged sword. Sometimes attending such events can be real fun. It’s all the more overwhelming because I have always been very introvert and liked being within my shell. Back then I had three films going on simultaneously but I was still far off from the supposed ‘lime light’. It is after Gunday that I started interacting with the media and my fans on personal level. However, now that I have boarded the “promo” train I have become a bit skeptical about it. On one hand, the activities are very hectic and tedious. On the other, somewhere, while participating in promotional activities you feel you have to be constantly conscious about your appearance, your words, and your gestures.
Are you scared of missing the lime light?
It all depends on how you define ‘lime light’. If it means immense amount of love and support from people who like your work then I love it. I still remember when during the promotion of my film, an old lady, must be of my mother’s age; was holding a poster which stated Bala mere Lala. Such a gesture left me in awe and surprise. 
Having performed serious roles in previous films, how different was this comedy role in 2 States? 
I signed 2 States right after my first film Ishaqzaade got released. Hence, at that point I didn’t take the decision to showcase my variation. I never looked at my character in Ishaqzaade as an angry young man. The next one Aurangzeb, was more of a drama film than an action flick to me. My character in Gunday was a performer to me because of the different shades of character. 
How close is Arjun to Krish in 2 States?
A lot! Krish is very emotional yet has a balance in his thought process. He understands others’ emotions well and gives importance to every little issue. Yet he likes to be in his own shell. All of these match to my real self. Above everything, I think it is this resilience in Krish’s characteristics that I can relate to the most. 
Is comedy little difficult?
2 States is a romantic film for me, not comedy. There are funny circumstances which are crafted beautifully in the romantic wrap of the film to make audiences feel the pinch of comedy but it has not been the intention of the film. I love the film for I can completely relate to it. In reality also, Indian homes have such intercultural issues. 
Was bringing a book alive on screen boring?
Reading book and analyzing a character can give out array of interpretation which is different for each reader. Similarly, I have visualised the character based on my interpretation and have portrayed it accordingly. However, that doesn’t stop them from building up their own interpretation. The actual story of the book itself has been altered for cinematic liberties; entertainment has been added to it. Acting is never boring for me; I value it to be a great profession which demands a lot of passion. 
What are the touchy portions in the book?
The expression of revealing of the male protagonist’s closeness to his mother has touched me the most. He has a lot of emotions but can’t express. I am like that if I have fallen for someone; I lose the way of expressing it. If I genuinely love someone then I will stand for that person both in good and bad times.  
How did acting happen to you?
Before acting, Salman happened to me. He had put the thought of becoming an actor in me. Back then I weighed 140 kilos. He believed that I could do it and he took me under his wings for the transformation. My wish was to become a director. Also, at that point of time I wanted to reduce, because I wanted to get a girlfriend. It was because of Salman that this change of perception from director to actor happened. 
Do you have to keep a check on your weight issues?
Yes, I do and it indeed is difficult. Unfortunately, having an extra broad built compels me to stay fit regularly especially for my films. For the role of Krish, I never used to lift any weights as I had to look in a certain way. It was not the case when I played a character like Bala in Gunday. Bala had to look robust so I had worked on my body accordingly. In Tevar, I’m playing the role of a Kabbadi player for which I need to have certain built. As far as my personal life is concerned, I need to be as careful as possible.
Does working in good banners benefit the actors?
Of course it does! Working with names like Yash Raj, Dharma Productions is the wish of every newcomer actor. As I belong to a producer’s family, the production house matters a lot for me. Beginning my career with Yash Raj productions has been definitely a big thing for me. It was Aditya who believed in me. Good banners surely market the films well which is very important for a film. As an actor it is a good fortune cookie to get to work with such big names! Nonetheless, good banners or not, an actor always has to give his best!