Arjun Kapoor Continues To Maintain A Cinematic Legacy

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Interviewed | May 2014

His brooding eyes stole hearts of many a young girls when he just stepped into the business. While Arjun Kapoor has done a series of toughie roles, somewhere everyone still knows that he is gentle; that he doesn’t boil, he simmers. And that simmering is ineffable.

Coming from a family that is full of names Bollywood is proud of, Arjun Kapoor leaves no stone unturned and continues to maintain the legacy. In a one-on-one with Exhibit, Arjun reveals to us a side we never saw. The techie side.

While Arjun Kapoor is riding high on success with 2 States, he dismisses his contribution saying, “While I’m glad people appreciated my performance, the movie’s success excites me more than my success. It is a great feeling to know that people have accepted the movie and that it was seen a source of wholesome entertainment.”

Being one of the most sought after actors from the new crop, he is one of those actors who started working behind the cameras before they changed sides.

“My first assignment was with Dharma Productions and I was the 6th AD (Assistant Director) on Kal Ho Na Ho. I was basically the one behind the making of the movie; if you go back and watch it, they have even included my name as its Director which was really sweet of them. I got paid ` 3,000 for it and after deducting the tax, it was somewhere close to 2,700”, he ends with a laugh.

This was followed by assisting Director Nikhil Advani on Salaam-E-Ishq and working as an Associate Producer on ‘No Entry’ and ‘Wanted’. Did that help him when he started his career as an Actor? “It did. In retrospect, I know it better as to why things happen the way they do; that if there are 300 people on the set, it is because they are needed. You understand the process and do not act like an outsider. I have been and would like to remain a part of this industry.”

And while the camera loves him, his aspiration also extends to Directing. He wants to be a part of the film making process by all means. But currently, he is on a journey of self-improvisation and wishes to give his best to everything he does. “With each thing one does, the benchmarks keep on raising. My first movie was with YashRaj and that was an achievement by itself. The more I do, the more I feel the urge to better it.”

One might consider him to be shy but he invests, almost preserves, himself for those he loves the most. And Arjun’s love for his mother, Late Mona Kapoor, his Sisters Anshula, Sonam and Rhea and mentor Salman Khan is widely known of. He elaborates, “I think I’ve spoken for Salman bhai a dime a dozen times – of how he has been an emotional support to me and my family and how he has inspired and motivated me and helped me believe in myself. As for my sisters, Anshula, my real sister, is someone who I need all the time. She is that person who I am closest to right now.

As for Sonam, she’s more like a friend. We have the same set of friends since we were in the same school and bond at the same level. We care a lot for each other. As for Rhea, she’s extreme. If ever I need an honest opinion and a critique for my work, she’s there. She is like my mirror. She’s a bohemian. There are times when she will stay away from everyone but she jumps into action whenever I need her. Like the other day I told her that I’ll be shooting and she came with 6 bags of clothes… that’s how she expresses her love.”

There are various shades to Arjun – at times he goes all out in explaining himself and at others, he thinks some matters are “too personal to discuss.” Giving a miss to all such topics, we ask him about his role in his upcoming movie, Finding Fanny. “It’s a Homi Adjania movie so you can expect a complete Homi kind of humour; somewhere on the lines of Being Cyrus. It’s an English-Konkani movie and my co-stars are Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Dimple Kapadia, Deepika Padukone.

Unlike all the roles I’ve played in the past for all the commercial movies, I play the role of Savio Fernandes who is a mechanic and the only one amongst the lot who knows how to drive. All of them are on a road trip to find Fanny, who Naseeruddin Shah is deeply in love with and only realizes a little too late, after 40 years. So it is about the discoveries and revelations that take place while all are together and about what eventually happens. It’s releasing on the 14th of September”, he ends with a smirk.

Arjun Kapoor – Up and Close!

Car that you drive?
Mercedes’ Limited Edition ML 350 CDI. That’s how they sold it to me!
One habit you want to change?
I bite my nails and fidget a lot with my hair, too. These are two habits I want to change.
A word that describes you the best?
Pragmatic.
How do you unwind?
Sleep. With the kind of things I have at hand right now, it is something that I really need.
Could you tell us about your love for gadgets? Which are your must have gadgets and what apps do you use the most?
Phone is something that goes without saying. Since I love watching movies whenever I have time at hand, I have a huge DVD collection and love sticking around with my Blu Ray. PS4 is an indispensable part of this list and my love for it never dies.
Currently I’m always on it because of FIFA’14. Also, I always need a trimmer in order to maintain my stubble. Since, I have a tendency to get addicted to things too soon, I have deactivated my Apple account, otherwise all I will do is download apps. I don’t have an iPhone for the same reason.
Any gadget that you bought and regretted?
I had an iPad that I later replaced with an iPad Mini and frankly there was nothing different about it. I’m finally using the Mini, but I was like ‘What the hell!’
If you were to invent an app for convenience or luxury, which one would that be?
A Time machine… I think it’s high time we get one; plus, I’d like to get a phone that walks with me… on a practical level, that is. One that can read my mind, dial numbers of people who I am thinking of, text what I want to… Just so that I don’t have to carry it.
The next gadget that you want to invest in?
I don’t know if you could consider it as a gadget, but it would be the Jukebox that you can connect to your iPhone. It’s already available abroad and I’m waiting for it to arrive in India.
If you could write a biography of one person, who would that be and what would it be called?
My father. It’d be nice to spend some time with him and interesting to know him. I’ll call it ‘My Father’… as simple as that. The title speaks for itself.
What is the most expensive thing you have ever purchased online?
I mostly purchase a lot of plain tees and Blu Ray DVDs online. But recently, I purchased Alexander McQueen Shoes worth ` 90,000 and I’ve not even used it until now.
If you were to get into a tech related profession, which one would that be?
I would be a Car Designer. That’s some cool profession to be in! And this, I say, after watching Rush. I would like to design a Ferrari.