Arjun Kapoor on shedding baggage of being from a film family, why his Dibakar Banerjee film is delayed and reuniting with father Boney Kapoor
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 8, 2019)

Arjun Kapoor insists that we sit on chairs instead of the sofa so that he doesn’t slouch during the interview. And even though he is juggling the shoot of Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat with promotions for Raj Kumar Gupta’s India’s Most Wanted, he is visibly relaxed and ready to tackle questions. Excerpts:

From being a commercial film actor to playing an Intelligence Bureau officer in a Raj Kumar Gupta film… It has been quite an arc for you.
I believe I have always had the knack of juggling all kinds of films. Maybe I am known as a commercial entertainer partly because I am from a film family that has made big films for years. It’s a pre-conceived notion that is difficult to shake off, so I embrace it. That said, I think India’s Most Wanted is today’s commercial film.

Some of your films haven’t fared well…
You live and learn. You see potential in something and go for it. Sometimes it goes beyond expectations and sometimes it falls short. But you can’t throw up your hands and refuse to fulfil a commitment. You ride on your instinct, give it your all and leave it to the audience. No actor is above a Friday. Everyone must auto-correct and analyse because the audience evolves faster than you.

The cinema one grows up watching might restrict their thought process and stepping out of it to understand the new kind of cinema may take time.

Did you also go through this transition?
I signed Mubarakan and Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar around the same time. I wanted to go from Anees Bazmee to a Dibakar Banerjee. But today, when I am offered a film, I know that I don’t have to fret over whether the audience will get it. They are more cinema-educated. When they are watching a Badla or a Uri, it’s not for naach-gaana or the cast. It’s because they are genuinely interested in the story.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar has been stuck for a long time. Producer Aditya Chopra is reportedly not too happy with the final edit.
You’ll have to ask Adi (about it), but he is impossible to reach (laughs). It is a unique multiplex film and we need a window of opportunity to release it. Namaste England was ready in the time Dibakar sir was cutting the film. So, we pushed it for later as we needed a gap between the two films. Then, Luka Chuppi and Sonchiriya happened to be opening on the same date that we had decided for Sandeep Aur Pinky... Why would you want to get into a three-way tussle? The film is ready and it’s just a matter of releasing it at the right time.

But too many delays also run the risk of losing the buzz among movie-goers…
Dibakar sir is a master craftsman. And if a director like him has taken time to edit a film, there must be a reason behind it.

What was it like prepping for India’s Most Wanted?
I am playing an Intelligence Bureau officer in the film and because of Raj sir, I got the opportunity to meet certain people who work within the community and listen to their stories. During the readings and research, I realised that in their head, these people are just doing their job. You have to be the most selfless person in the world to be in that head-space.

You and your sister Anshula are the most prolific sharers of childhood pictures on the social media. Just how big is your family album?
(Smiles) That’s the way we relive memories of our mother (Mona Kapoor). She used to save pictures from all our birthday parties and other important moments. By the time she passed away, she had a drawer full of albums dating back to the 1970s. Anshula is a replica of her and takes care of these things now. We live in the same house and take each other for granted, not saying in person how much we love each other, but we use the social media for it.

How has your equation with Janhvi and Khushi evolved?
I am still discovering them, and I don’t like to speak too much about it as mujhe lagta hai ke nazar na lage. We were brought together by the worst of circumstances but we’re trying to make the best of it. There is a long way to go before I can truly say that I know them inside out. We have a WhatsApp group that keeps us connected all the time.

Buzz is, you are doing a film with your father, Boney Kapoor. Is it No Entry Mein Entry?
Dad is about to start Ajay (Devgn) sir’s film and has just completed another one with Ajith sir down South. He is focused on that for now. I am hoping we will have something by the year-end to start in 2020.

It must have been difficult as a leading man to shave your head for Panipat.
Ashutosh (Gowariker, director) sir gave me enough time to think about it. And I felt excited about the look. Sometimes, you need to come out of your comfort zone to discover new things that work.

You’ve recently rallied behind leading ladies getting equal footing in film credits alongside male colleagues.
Women have always been hardworking, important and relevant to our films, so why not give them the respect they deserve? It only adds value to my name if Panipat is known as Kriti’s (Sanon, co-star) film.

And it’s about time that leading men spoke up for pay parity.
Pay parity should be all about proving yourself at the box-office and not about gender. If you are bringing footfalls to the theatre, you should be paid a certain amount of money.

While you and Malaika Arora are yet to comment on your relationship status, reports of a wedding have only intensified this year.
Usually men lose hair after getting married and not before (laughs). To put things in perspective, as an actor, why would I want to get married when I am sporting a bald look? There would be pictures of it everywhere! On a serious note, I am not getting married. I have not hidden anything from anyone and I think my personal life deserves respect and dignity for that.

But you are happy to be in love?
I am happy and that is all that matters. I don’t want to add more adjectives to it. My personal and professional lives help me sleep well at night and I would like it to remain like that.