Rashtra Kavach OM is Aditya Roy Kapur’s first full-blown action film. In a chat with Bombay Times, the actor spoke about his action avatar, the work that went behind looking the part, lessons learnt and his admiration for Sanjay Dutt as an action hero. Excerpts:

As you get older, you realise that everything is transient. You have to keep going back to work every day. Don’t fly too high when things go well and too low when they don’t. You should not allow yourself to get swayed by the ups and downs. If I were to give a message from my experience to aspiring actors, I would say, work gets you work. Don’t give up any opportunities at work. Don’t wait for that perfect time. If you have an opportunity, take it. You never know what it might lead you to.

Maybe the new title is more relatable. I think the producers felt that Rashtra Kavach OM would connect more with the audience. It’s one of the two main conflicts in the film. The story is about patriotism and these are the relevant themes of it. They felt the new title would resonate more with the audience. Whether it will help or not, only time will tell.

This film has a strong emotional anchor and that takes the story forward, that’s what struck me the most. Action is the icing on the cake and that is the beauty of the film. It’s a story about a family. It’s about the mother-son bond as well as a son looking for his father, his quest for truth and his responsibilities towards his job and the country. The story has many layers, so this was an interesting character to play. Of course, external factors like the action scenes are also there. Director Kapil Verma and producer Ahmed Khan have put in a lot of action in the film, but what drew me to the film was its emotional core.

I have done the whole gym thing before. I had bulked up a lot for Malang, but this one needed me to learn action. Ahmed sir and Kapil were clear that they wanted me to do the stunts. I underwent rigorous action training for three-and-a-half months as the action had to look realistic. Interestingly, action is the antithesis of bodybuilding. You lose muscle when you do action, so I had to train accordingly. If I trained for action scenes for two hours in the morning, I had to work out for two hours in the evening to rebuild muscle. It was extra tough as I had to bulk up a bit as well. This is the most physically demanding role of my career so far.

It is tough to maintain a strict diet beyond the shooting schedule. I like my food! Every now and then, I need to go off the rails on a three-day food bender, but not more than that. As soon as I wrapped up this film, I went to my parents’ house and had delicious mutton curry cooked by my dad. I work well when I have a goal. I put my blinkers on and focus. Once it’s done, it’s important for me to let my hair down. Earlier I used to yo-yo. I used to lose a lot of weight and then gain a lot, and that can get mentally tiring. I have reached a sort of equilibrium in the last two-three years where I am a little more consistent. I no longer allow myself to undergo three months of crash diet to get into shape. I am at a physical stage where 20 days of workout is sufficient for me. Consistency has found its way into my life.

I don’t think I am veering too far away from the complicated characters I have played so far. Funnily, this film has patriotism and action, but my character here too has an emotional side. It has all the ingredients of my previous roles (smiles). This was also an emotionally draining film for me and it had its set of challenges. Once you see the film, you’ll realise that this character has been put through a whole set of situations that could weigh heavy on anyone. This role gave me something to sink my teeth into as well.

(Laughs!) I do wonder that! Well, there have been films like Ludo, OK Jaanu and Daawat-e-Ishq where I have played lighter roles and believed in the brighter side of life. I guess the roles that stood out have been the more intense ones. As an actor, I think I have also got a chance to showcase my other side. My filmography has been fairly varied, but yes, I would like to do more comedy and varied stuff for sure. One doesn’t want to keep doing the same thing again and again.

I take it in a positive way because these guys have done such amazing work in this genre. This is my first step into it. It will take me a few more action films before I can be compared to these guys. If the comparisons are still made, I would be flattered by them. Who doesn’t want to be compared to something or someone good!

Sanjay Dutt’s personality is most striking. He has this aura and an edgy look. He built a great physique back in the day when it wasn’t common, and that was inspiring.