The year started with actor Salman Khan confirming the theatrical release of his film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, and singer-actor Arjun Kanungo says there was never even a conversation about the film ditching the big screen due to uncertainties after the pandemic.

“From the beginning, Salman bhai said he will release the film in theatres. He was clear about it. We trusted his vision,” Kanungo says, adding that releasing films in theatres is the need of the hour. The film was supposed to release in 2020, but was delayed by the Covid-19 crisis. Now, it is slated to open on the big screen in May. It also stars Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff. “I am waiting for its release for one-and-a-half year. We shot in November 2019, and I almost finished my schedule in March 2020, then resumed in November 2020,” he says.

For the 30-year-old, getting back on the set amid a pandemic was a very distinctive experience. “Everyone was scared. We couldn’t hang out with each other unless there was a reason,” says Kanungo, who makes the transition from the world of music to acting, with the film. But he refrains from sharing much about his role. “Soon, the trailer will be out,” is all he says.

Kanungo studied in the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute: Method Acting School in New York, USA, and tried to make a place for himself in the West, before returning to India. “When I came back, I thought I’d pursue acting, but got involved in music,” says the man behind songs such as Aaya Na Tu, Baaki Baatein Peene Baad and Waada Hai. It was Salman who nudged him back to acting, and offered a role in his film. “After Salman bhai’s suggestion, I made a serious effort to get back into it,” he confesses.