After several good-looking actors like Vidyut Jamwal, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Rahul Dev made an impact as menacing villains in Tamil cinema, Tarun Arora, the model-turned-actor is the latest one to arrive in Kollywood as a baddie! He has been receiving accolades for his negative role in Kanithan.
Talking about how he was roped in for the film, he says, “Years back, I started out as a model at a time when there was no social media and other online means of promotion. I used to carry a hard copy of my picture and give it individually to each of the producers. Now, life has become much easier. Click a picture and upload it online, things fall into place if they are destined to!” That’s precisely what happened to the Jab We Met actor when he made his debut in south films.
“I heard Jackie Shroff was the first choice by director Santhosh, as the team needed someone versatile like him. But, when they wanted a younger looking actor, they saw my pictures. Thus, I replaced Shroff,” he quips.
Having spent his early years near Chennai, the actor says that it helped him understand the language. “Circumstances forced me to move out of my native Assam and my parents felt that Chennai was the safest place to live in. So, they put me here in an institution called Triveni Academy in Chengelpet, where I studied for four years.
Though I can’t speak Tamil fluently, I can understand the emotions of Tamil enough while shooting.” Remind him about the danger of typecasting here, and Tarun seems too happy to continue playing a baddie — “Now, I have found my strength. I do not mind being typecast and I am ready to experiment. I want to become the next ‘big’ villain in Tamil cinema!”
On his co-star Atharvaa he says, “I enjoyed every bit working with him. He was down to earth and was very co-operative. Catherine Tresa was also very sweet, although there were not many scenes with her.”
