Aditya Roy Kapoor: “I am very talented at doing nothing!”
Right now, Aditya Roy Kapoor is taking it easy. A deserving break, given the success of his last two movies, which shot him to super-star status. Here, the actor talks about enjoying attention, being shy and what he wants in his ideal woman (take notes!)
COSMO: We hear you always wanted to be a cricketer... so how did acting happen?
ADITYA ROY KAPOOR “I was a VJ with Channel V for five years, and when you are on TV, you end up getting calls for auditions. So I got a call for an audition for London Dreams. I was always curious about doing films, but it was never a huge deal for me. So I went for the audition. For the movie, I would get to spend a couple of months in London, playing the role of a guitarist, so I thought I’d give it a shot to see what it’s like. Initially, I did only for the ‘movie-making’ experience, but then I had a great time doing it, I decided to stick to it. So, yeah, films were something I just stumbled upon.”
C: Both your brothers are also part of the film industry, so did your family help make the decision?
ARK: “Not at all! In fact, it was always a big joke at home... they kept asking me to join films, and kept saying now. People assume that when you work in television or modeling, all you think of is becoming an actor, which is not always the case. In my case, I never really grew up watching a lot of Hindi cinema. I would watch a movie here or there, but was never really a big buff, so
I never imagined I’d do this. Even in school and college, I was never into theatre or dramatics. I was actually quite shy.”
C: How do you pick a role?
ARK: “I only take two things into consideration—the script and the director. If it’s someone I get along with, or someone who has a very clear vision of what he wants, and it’s something I agree with, I say yes.”
C: What do you like doing when you’re not working? How do you unwind?
ARK: “Most of the times, I’m actually doing nothing at all, and I’m very talented at doing that. Otherwise, I like playing sports, going to the gym or hanging out with friends. Just regular stuff that everyone does.”
C: What’s the best and worst part about your job?
ARK: “The best part is the fact that you get a couple of months off after your schedule. Like, you work really hard, and then get to enjoy some time off. Which other regular job gives you that opportunity? The worst part for me is that you get close to a lot of people. You work so closely with a group of people and they become like your family, and once the film is over, you don’t spend that same amount of time together. A lot of times, life takes you in different directions and you’re not able to keep in touch with a lot of people, and that’s tough. It’s difficult to detach and let go of people who you’ve shared such good times with.”
C: How do you stay grounded after all the praise and attention you receive?
ARK: “I don’t put too much thought into it. I don’t have a theory in place, but
THE WORST PART OF MY JOB IS TO DETACH AND LET GO OF PEOPLE ONCE A MOVIE IS OVER!
I think it’s important to have perspective and to realise that the only important thing is to keep doing good work. So when you go through a bad patch, don’t feel too low, and when things are going well, don’t fly too high. Keep your head balanced and focus on the truly important stuff.”
C: What’s the one thing you don’t get about women?
ARK: “Why do they have to go to the restroom in groups?”
C: And what is the key ingredient for a good relationship?
ARK: “The most important thing is trust. Everything else comes later.”
C: How is a movie relationship different from a real-life one?
ARK: “I think both are accurate. Everything that happens in movies has at some point, somewhere, happened in real life as well. It’s just presented in a larger-than-life and heightened way in movies, but the basic idea of love and the emotions are the same.”