Strange as it may sound, way back in 2006, when this correspondent met Arjun Kapoor, who makes his debut as the ‘hero’ in this Yashraj banner movie ‘Ishaqzaade’, he was grooming himself to become director and not a hero.
In fact, the affable Arjun was assisting ace director Nikhil Advani in ‘Salaam-e-Ishq’ and previously in ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’. Which is why when Arjun, son of Boney Kapoor, decided to take up acting as his career (like his uncle Anil Kapoor) it did come as a startling surprise, but frankly not unexpected.
The chilled Arjun is the intense types (chip off the old Boney block?) who will not smile or laugh easily, had to go through the regimen of auditions with the fastidious director Habib Faisal. “Honestly, I am delighted that I set out to be an achiever without using any influential pressure from my family.
Which is why director Habib-sir took almost 45 days to finalise me for ‘Ishaqzaade’, where I play this small-town character called ‘Parma’. For my screen-character, I had to lose weight drastically and transform myself from the hi-fi Mumbai guy to the trim desi care-a-damn toughie who comes from a political family background, so by default he wears the aura of immunity and is a rustic ‘dabangg’ dude (laughs) when it comes to romantic overtures with his ‘phataka’ sweetheart (Parineeti Chopra),” enthuses the casual Arjun who is notorious in showbiz circles for always wearing ‘chappals’.
Having lost his doting mother (shooting studio-owner ‘late’ Mona Kapoor) in real-life to a terminal illness, very recently, Arjun is yet to emerge out of the traumatic shock completely. “But I know my mother’s blessings will always be with me and take me ahead,” he says, as tears start welling up in his eyes. Interestingly, Arjun who was quite pally with Arpita Khan, idolizes her brother Salman Khan. “Salman-bhai was the one who motivated me to lose weight and become fit.”