Actor Tarun Arora feels “absolutely fabulous” when he talks about his Telugu debut film Khaidi No. 150. “I couldn’t have asked for a better launch. This experience has been one of a kind, more so, because the role is tailor made for me. I am not expecting a huge change but I’m giving it my best. I just hope it’ll be received positively,” says the actor. He plays the prime antagonist in the film, in which he reprises the role of Neil Nitin Mukesh from the original Tamil film Kaththi.
He admits to not take any pointers from the actor. “In fact, I did watch the original and liked how Neil has given his own spin to the character but I decided to go by the director’s vision and I am enacting the role just the way he is asking me to. The original film was great but at the end of the day, Khaidi No. 150 is a remake — the film will have its own standing, and that is possible only if we do things a wee bit differently,” he explains.
While Tarun is a Punjabi who grew up in Assam, unlike several North Indians who have perceived notions about South India, he believes he has a better understanding of the different cultures and people here. “I grew up in Chennai because I studied in a boarding school there. And eventually lived in Bangalore for many years. I understand the emotions of people here and what cinema means to them. And I know what I have signed up for. It’s a big film and not many get to debut with the Megastar. I think it’s an honour for me and I feel very relaxed knowing that I have made the right choice,” he says.
Having worked on a couple of Tamil films earlier, (Kanithan and the yet-to-release Kathi Sandai), how different has the experience on the sets of a Telugu film been? “Everyone is making an extra effort to ensure that I am comfortable and that makes me feel special. As for the language, I felt a sense of familiarity after my time in Bengaluru but it wasn’t as easy as it was to adapt to Tamil. While the language is important, I think as an actor, I should concentrate on the emotions of my character and the knowledge of the language will follow,” he says.
Interestingly, Tarun’s wife, actress Anjala Zaveri, is well-known in Tollywood. She has around a dozen films to her credit, most of them with superstars including Chiranjeevi, with whom she was seen in Choodalani Vundi and in a special song appearance in Shankar Dada MBBS. And Tarun did take tips from her as well!
“Anjala told me that the industry is very flamboyant and does everything on a massive scale and she was right as I am seeing it first hand with my debut film. She was also right when she told me that Chiranjeevi garu is very humble,” adds Tarun.
