It’s a quiet afternoon at Arjun Kapoor’s home and the actor looks every bit relaxed in a pair of shorts, tee and chappals. Even though he is counting days to the release of his next film Ki & Ka, he’s having no trouble keeping calm about it. He also seems to be wearing his new haircut quite well, which happens to be his look in the film. “I had cut my hair like this just for fun. Balki sir saw one of the images and said that he’d like me to keep the cool hairstyle and beard, to look the part of a modern man, and not some bichara sa baccha. Aalim (Hakim) has given me different hairstyles in every film and for this too he did his magic,” he says with a smile.
Arjun is well aware that he doesn’t look like the conventional Bollywood hero. And he doesn’t mince words. “Adi (Aditya Chopra) said to me a long time ago, ‘you are not good looking, so don’t worry about your looks’. He meant it in the sense that I don’t have a ‘hero face’. He said that to Ranveer (Singh) too. He said people would like you for being the character’.”
The actor’s Bollywood journey has been a fair mix of hits and misses. Arjun feels that he has become more practical over the years but overall he has not changed much as a person after becoming an actor. “Things are of course different now. Every action, every gesture is scrutinised. You become wary of the people around you. As much as I would want to remain casual, I can’t be. People may have a different opinion but I don’t think I have changed much. They say I have become even more private. Truth is I have become very engrossed in my work and that is what gives me pure happiness. It has made me more practical and less emotional in a good way. I am more patient and resilient now, better able to deal with the highs and lows.”
And he loves the attention he gets. “There is a lot of love that comes your way and you crave for that appreciation, we all do. One big change that has happened to me is that I was never a people’s person, but now I enjoy when people come up and talk to me,” he adds. But an actor’s life comes with some privileges, not all of which Arjun enjoys. “You get things that you want and you get used to them but that is not always a good thing. I don’t like jumping the queue in airports, and I try not to do it. But then if you don’t, you get mobbed.”
However, the recluse in him is still alive. “I have always been an over-thinker, who dwells over things. After becoming an actor I have started thinking even more about the things I do and I keep it all to myself. I am one of the few actors who doesn’t like their personal life to be spoken about.” He continues, “With fame, people around you change more than you do, the people who didn’t even care about you want to be your best friend now and the genuine well-wishers take a back seat because they think that it’s not their space to be.”
Being the son of one of the most successful producers in the industry, Arjun has always had to deal with high expectations. We ask him how would he like to take his father’s legacy ahead. “My father will be definitely happier if I create my own legacy,” Arjun says.
“But If I have to carry forward something I would make sure that his banner continues making the kind of films that it always has. But that time is far away. I would like to be the best representative of our family. When people meet him, they should say that we met your son and he is an extension of you. I know he feels really happy when people call him Arjun Kapoor’s father. I think I am doing a fairly decent job now. I am sure I’ll make him even more proud.”
Recently, Arjun made a foray into television as a host in a reality show and he says that he did that partly to break a few myths. “A lot of people think of me as this serious, brooding personality that doesn’t talk. Let’s put it this way: I am not Ranveer but I am Arjun. I do open up and talk when I want to. Everybody who knows me knows that. I have a deadpan face but I wanted my droopy eyes and deadpan expression not to be a deterrent for families to connect with me. I wanted to use TV to reach the audience that doesn’t necessarily go to theatres to watch a film. Children watch TV a lot. I wanted to put myself out there and have fun and I did that.”
But it’s back to films now. His next Ki & Ka dares to put forth an unconventional stance on marriage. We find out in real life too he doesn’t mind sharing the load with his woman. “I am sure I will screw things up trying to figure out everything because in relationships, it’s all about living and learning. But the intention should be there to help, to balance, to kind of create the environment where she does not feel that you are taking the relationship or marriage for granted,” says the actor. “I would like to be in that position some day but I am nowhere near it now. But I hope practically I can make it happen for all the right reasons,” he adds.
Until then, all female attention is welcome, Arjun says. “When I was between ages of 16 and 20, the only thing that would interest me was food. I was 26 when I decided to become an actor. Now, I never thought I’d get the amount of female attention I am getting now. I would be lying had I said it doesn’t matter to me. It also gives you a fair sense that your work is being appreciated and you feel confident about yourself. Sometimes I find it difficult to believe even now that I am getting this kind of attention. I think because of the character I played in Ishaqzaade, women started to like my bad boy image. But now they are warming up with the 2 States kind of image also. And with Ki & Ka, the older generation and children too have begun to like me. But yes, I will turn 31 soon and if I meet the woman of my dreams, I will try to get into a stable relationship at least,” he signs off with a smile.
