Tarun Raj Arora, Geet’s boorish boyfriend from the filmmaker’s 2007 rom-com, on taking the story forward, and returning to Hindi films with Akshay Kumar’s next
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 24, 2020)

Ever wondered what happened to the handsome and boorish Anshuman of Jab We Met? The character was played by Tarun Raj Arora in Imtiaz Ali’s 2007 Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor-starrer rom-com, which gave us Geet—one of Hindi cinema’s most loved heroines. After the film, the model-turned-actor did one Hindi film, Karar: The Deal (2014), and went on to feature in several South projects. Now, he is gearing up for a comeback as a corrupt MLA in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmmi Bomb, the Hindi adaptation of director Raghava Lawrence’s Tamil horror-comedy Muni 2: Kanchana.

Incidentally, Tarun was a part of the original’s fourth instalment, which released last year. “I told Raghava sir I’d love to be a part of his Hindi debut and he offered me the antagonist’s part,” he informs, quick to point out that this one is different from the “dodo” Anshuman. “He is lethal, knows what he wants and will do anything to get it. Working with Akshay Kumar was an absolute pleasure. He was very professional with his time and work.”

Tarun blames stereotyping for his unintentional sabbatical from Bollywood. “After Anshuman, I was getting roles that were wicked and mean. I didn’t want to repeat myself on screen so, I went back to my restaurant business in Bangalore and dabbled in theatre to hone my skills. A few years later, I got my first South film offer through A R Murgadoss’s assistant, T N Santhosh, for his 2016 Tamil film Kanithan. There has been no looking back since,” he smiles.

Tarun suspects it was his cavalier attitude in real life that helped him bag the part of Anshuman. “It was 2006 and I had just moved to Bangalore. When Imtiaz called me to offer the film, I pretended to be busy. Obviously, he was shocked by my behaviour, but I got the film in 15 minutes. Back then, none of us knew that it would become such a cult film,” Tarun laughs.

The actor hasn’t been in touch with Kareena and Shahid, but recently met Imtiaz in Goa, where he owns a guesthouse. The filmmaker was with his team on a break after the release of his last directorial, Love Aaj Kal (which Tarun is yet to see). “We spoke about our time on the sets of Jab We Met and I told Imtiaz we should make ‘Jab I Left’, with the story narrated from Anushuman’s perspective. He said that Kareena, Shahid and he are done with the film, but he would provide all the support I might need to make the film. I have started writing it and maybe I will produce it, too,” he says.

Tarun lives in Goa and is married to Anjala Zaveri, who was launched by Vinod Khanna alongside his son, Akshaye in Himalay Putra and went on to feature in the Salman Khan, Kajol-starrer Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya.