In a span of less than five years, Arjun Kapoor has managed to make a mark in the film industry with a variety of roles. Despite wanting to be a mainstream Hindi film hero, he has not shied away from experimenting with niche films. As he says, “When you have survived for four-five years and have a body of work, you should only look towards making more inroads. You cannot be stuck in personas of being massy, urban, classy, sophisticated or rustic. These are tags that you can break.“ In a candid chat with BT, ahead of the release of his upcoming film Mubarakan, the actor talks about breaking stereo types, associating with directors who come from various schools of thought, and how he'd never do a film that portrays women derogatorily. Excerpts...

When one looks at your repertoire of eight films in the past five years and the way you have gone about choosing them, there seems to be a method behind it. Would you say that this assumption is correct?
I auditioned for my first film and that's how I got it. After my first film, I was just happy that I had been accepted. I wanted to dabble in all genres, so I chose a Gunday, which was a larger-than-life film. I then chose to do 2 States because the conflict that the character went through appealed to me as it was quintessentially Indian in nature. I did a film like Aurangzeb as it was a non-song film, which at that time was attracting the audience to the multiplexes. I did a Finding Fanny because I love Homi Adajania's madness. Also, I wanted to share screen space with Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur and learn from them. I didn't say yes to everything that came my way, but I did give my nod to exciting projects. When Ki & Ka came my way, I realised no boy will say yes to this role. The film's director, R Balki, narrated one line and said that he had not even thought about it. I jumped at it because I felt it was tailor-made for somebody with my physicality. I took a chance with the film and consciously worked towards it as it went against the grain and it also paid off. Half Girlfriend was exciting because the texture of the storytelling was again Indian. There are certain things that pique an actor's interest, and that's why you veer towards certain subjects.

While you are a creative person, you also understand how it is to produce a film. Do these two viewpoints - one artistic and the other commercial - create a conflict in your mind?
Well, what I do take into account is that, I don't want anybody losing money on my film. Even if I am experimenting and pushing the envelope, the film should be safeguarded, so that the risk taken doesn't cost somebody their job. Besides, no human being can predict how a film will perform at the box office. The one responsibility that every actor should shoulder is to secure the producer to whatever degree they can. With every film performing well at the box office, your saleability as an actor improves. That doesn't mean you are becoming a better actor. When I signed Finding Fanny, I knew it was an experimental film. I did it intentionally. It was a film made in English for a certain audience, it still earned close to Rs 30 crore at the box office. But when you compare it with 2 States, which released earlier, it won't make sense. If you look at it in isolation, my responsibility was to attract the audience into theatres and ensure that my presence didn't lead to the budget going overboard, and I think I achieved that. Being part of a film like that gave me creative satisfaction and it's one of my best-reviewed films as well. Commercial success of a film is different from making a film commercially viable.

After Anees Bazmee's Mubarakan, you have been roped in by Dibakar Banerjee for Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. How does an actor straddle these two diametrically opposite worlds that these filmmakers represent?
The excitement lies in the fact that I will be going from one world to another. That's exactly how every actor wants to be challenged. As an actor, I should have the ability to navigate these different spaces and be well-rounded. In a calendar year, I have Mohit Suri, Anees Bazmee and Dibakar Banerjee as filmmakers to work with, this only helps me showcase my range as a performer. I will be dedicating a month to prep up for Dibakar's film. The reasons for doing Mubarakan and Sandeep And Pinky Faraar are for its makers and the material they have to offer. I get to live vicariously through directors, who create diametrically opposite worlds; how lucky am I!

Tiger Shroff recently said that he is happy that he has a fan following among the audience in the B and C centres. Since films like 2 States and Ki & Ka have worked more than say a Tevar, do you fear that you will be tagged as a hero appealing to the multiplexes and not the masses? Like we often say, a metrosexual hero...
I don't think I have been tagged as a metrosexual hero. Half Girlfriend did well in UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Indore. Gunday also did well in those regions. Ishaqzaade was a pan-India success at that point. It wasn't massy in its texture, but people from across the country saw it. I am not looking at whether the film will work in the A, B or C centres, and I think that reflects in my selection of films. I am always trying to meander my way into every household in India. I want to be a pan India hero. That's how you can survive. When you have survived for four or five years and have a body of work, you should only look towards making more inroads. You cannot be stuck in personas of being massy, urban, classy, sophisticated or rustic. These are tags that you can break.

While most actors are image conscious, you are conscious about not creating any image. So, in a way, you are not yet completely Bollywoodised...
I am very proud that I hail from the film fraternity. I am never apologetic about it. That doesn't mean that there aren't other facets to my personality. I am a well-rounded person, not just physically (laughs). I am a huge Bollywood fan, but that's not all that there is to me. There is enough time for various facets of my persona to come to the forefront.

From your interviews and your public persona, you come across as a feminist. If a film that you are offered portrays women derogatorily, would you voice your objection to it?
Films mirror society. When you read about a character, if it's not written with a particular agenda, say where they not purposely trying to malign the opposite sex and the journey brings about a catharsis, then it makes sense. Take for example my first film - if I was doing Zoya's role and reading about Parma, it's not my job to question the director about the boy's behaviour with the girl. He is doing that because that is what happens in society, sadly. The second half then goes on to say what the boy stands to lose for behaving the way he does with women. If a film is derogatory towards women, I won't affiliate myself with it. That is not the reality I would like to put out in the world.

But what's your response when people say that films and film stars influence the masses?
If we, as filmmakers and creative people, start becoming the do-gooders and the cleansers of society, it means that the infrastructure of our government has let us down drastically. Do you mean to say that we are the only cause for everything bad that happens in the country? If that is the case, then there is a fundamental flaw in the system.