‘Failures teac h yo u m o re ’

It has only been five years since he made his big Bollywood debut (with Ishaqzaade), and Arjun Kapoor’s professional as well as personal lives (when he lost his mother Mona Kapoor) have seen a few ups-anddowns. But the actor is ready for a fight. “Successes and failures are not the only things that teach you about life,” says Arjun, who’s on a high after three successes — Ki & Ka (2016), Half Girlfriend and Mubarakan. Excerpts from an interview:

At this point, are you relieved and happy or are you feeling pressured to deliver more? Of course, I’m happy, because I am used to taking up one film at a time. You have to take each film on its merits and try and do your best as an actor to make sure — to whatever degree you can — that it’s a success. Also, you want to build your fan-base with each film. So I’m happy that I am connecting with new audiences and reaching more people with every film. I don’t feel pressured, because each film is unique and you need to have realistic expectations.

Of late, you have also been experimenting intelligently… In the beginning, everything seems exciting, because you haven’t done that many films. But slowly, you also start looking for exciting material, as what you have done in the past may not excite you. For instance, with Ki & Ka, I was excited to do a slightly different rom-com, because 2 States (2014) had a very real take on the subject. As for Mubarakan, I wanted to do a film like I the ones I grew up watching — like the ones by Govinda, Anees Bazmee or David Dhawan. So, there are some personal choices, but you also want to push yourself and do different stuff. So, I’ve become more aware with every film.

When films like Aurangzeb (2013) or Tevar (2015) don’t do well, is there a temptation to go for tried and tested concepts? I feel that your failures teach you more than your successes. In a profession like ours, how you survive failure defines you. You can’t let your convictions waver. Regardless of how much money films make, how you select material can’t change just because you have seen success or failure. You still have to follow your instincts. If I get excited while reading something, then I don’t look at how safe or unsafe it is. I have not Let him first get a script and then we will see. Now, we should start with hills. Actually, forget hills, we should start with flat lines (laughs). let success or failure change the way I agree to do films. And I don’t think you should let that happen, because filmmaking is like gambling. There are a lot of external factors, so, you can’t always control fate.

You have been part of this industry for a while now. Would you say you're in a good space? When I started off, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t put my best foot forward during my initial interviews. Back then I was figuring myself out. It was a rebirth of sorts for me, and I had to sort myself out. It was the worst phase of my life. I had to reassess and learn how to put myself across. I think I was always a sorted kid. I am the same person now, too, but I am able to articulate better. I’m more relaxed and calm.