While Arjun Kapoor grew up watching his chachu Anil Kapoor’s masala Bollywood films like Mr India and Ram Lakhan, being an actor wasn’t on his radar. He knew that he would be associated with filmmaking but probably as a producer like his parents, Boney and Mona Kapoor. However, as fate would have it, he got an opportunity to stand in front of the camera. He made his Bollywood debut with Ishaqzaade in 2012. His decade-long journey in the industry has been a roller-coaster ride of sorts, with the actor seeing his share of box office success and failure.

Arjun says, “I feel ten years have passed by quickly, but at the same time, it’s been really slow. I’ve done a lot of work. I’ve learnt a lot of things, which I also need to forget from time to time. Sometimes you tend to overlearn, and you are over observed. The most important part is to be prepared and then let go. You need to find that thin line, where you need to follow your impulses and also try and get back to your roots – where I was in 2010-2011.”

Reflecting on the circle of success and failure, which is a constant for most actors, he shares, “It’s important to be cognizant of the situation but also be fearless to take a decision. And don’t be scared of failure. I think I would get very scared when I failed earlier on.”

Arjun adds, “I didn’t enjoy my success enough because I was always thinking of the next step. Just live in the moment and enjoy what you have. You have to be happy about the work that you are getting and learn from your failures. You have to accept that failure will happen to the best of people and also learn that you’re allowed to be happy for your success. You can’t please everyone, but you need to be as happy as possible. It’s a very fickle place and things change every Friday.”

Over the years, Arjun has learnt to enjoy the highs and navigate the lows. He says, “I have seen the highs and lows, I’ve seen stability and the chaos. I think the biggest learning is to just enjoy the moment and be. Ten years have flown by, and I’m still here, aren’t I? I plan to be here for another 100. So, you just have to sometimes live in the present rather than think about the future and worry about what you did in the past. I think I am just learning to be.”