Mumbai: He may have a “Kapoor” attached to his name, but Arjun Kapoor had to really work hard to get where he is today: A comfortable spot in the industry, where he is seen as a bankable actor. Son of veteran filmmaker Boney Kapoor, this young actor, unlike a lot of his contemporaries, didn’t have a family launch pad. He made his debut in YRF’s Ishaqzaade. He risked playing a grey character in his first film and it paid off. The audience and the industry loved his portrayal of the rustic ruffian Parma. The film was a hit. A new Kapoor was born.
He went on to make interesting career choices of which only one backfired. A double role in his second film Aurangzeb was a brave move too, but unfortunately it didn’t bring the desired results. Arjun more than made up for it with the massive successes of Gunday and 2 States. He was at last a star.
“It feels nice to have created an identity. I am a self-made man; I haven’t achieved everything. But being where I am today brings me a lot of happiness. I can say no to scripts today. Because it’s not about the money anymore. I am not dependent on my father for money. I am emotionally dependent on him.”
Arjun’s relationship with his father has been through quite a journey. Today they have put the past behind and things are better. Arjun says that he was able to bond with his father on the sets of Tevar. Earlier this year, Boney survived a horrible crash on his way to Wai where Arjun was shooting. His car was smashed but it was the air bags that saved his life. Arjun says, “When he told me about the accident, for a moment you realise how fickle life is… Anything could have happened. And I was angry because I thought he was hiding something from me. We have become a lot closer after Tevar. I could spend time with him.” His eyes become moist as he continues. “I rarely talk about my feelings but when I do, I don’t hide them,” he says.
Arjun worked hard to land his first film, as he didn’t want to use his father’s influence. “I didn’t want to be known as another son living off his father’s success. My family is happy with my success and my father is the happiest. I want to be a strength to him and not a liability. He would have happily spent '20-30 crores to launch me. He doesn’t think small. He is an old-school producer and if he has spent money freely for others, he would have definitely done it for his son too, even if the son was no good. But today, he deserves to enjoy my success more than anyone else in this world.”
His first film Ishaqzaade changed things between him and his father. “On Friday, when Ishaqzaade released, Boney Kapoor had changed his DP on his BBM and said ‘Father of Arjun Kapoor’. Those are the things that matter, creating your own standing in front of your family. To be able to do something on your own and make your family proud. To any young kid, whether he is an actor or a doctor,” Arjun says.
When his second film vanished without a trace, there were loud whispers labelling him as a one-film wonder. It didn’t matter to him. “I never paid any heed to what people said because we are so new. Even today, people could call me a ‘three-film wonder’ and I could be forgotten in a year’s time. It doesn’t matter as long as you do good work. No one told me that I was bad in Aurangzeb. You live and learn; maybe it was too early in my career to do a double role. What people say never bogs me down. I believe in backing myself and working hard.”
After the Rs100-crore successes of Gunday and 2 States, Arjun is looking forward to his next film Finding Fanny. Arjun insists that he never plans his films to create a certain image for himself. “Actors are not confined to imagery, so they can play many characters. Also, you should try and break your image every time by doing different things. I have never really made a calculated move as far as choosing a film is concerned. I was only excited to do something opposite of what people expect of me. That’s how Finding Fanny happened.”
Not many know that Arjun and Finding Fanny’s director Homi Adjania go back a long way. Revealing more about their association, Arjun says, “I was going to be an assistant on Being Cyrus but I got jaundice. Later when he met me at YRF studios while I was shooting for Gunday, he told me ‘I saw Ishaqzaade and I think you could be a damn good Savio (in FF).’ I thought to myself, ‘wow, this guy has seen Parma in the heartlands of India and feels that I can play a mechanic in a fictitious land called Pokuli!’ I found that mind-blowing and I just had to do his film.”
It’s not easy for actors to choose a favourite among their onscreen characters. For Arjun, if he had to, he would pick Krish from 2 States. “I like him because he is a sorted individual, a matured soul. His heart is in the right place but he doesn’t show his emotions. I related to the emotional aspect of Krish as he and I have had a similar emotional journey,” Arjun says. He continues, “Krish too struggled in building a relationship with his father. He has baggage and he has been through a lot.” After a pause, Arjun adds, “I am not like Ranveer Singh, bouncing around everywhere.”
