‘One has to walk the path less travelled’

Arjun Kapoor talks about his recent movie releases, working with director Dibakar Banerjee, and why he agreed to do Bhoot Police

Arjun Kapoor has had a busy year so far. In fact, he was one of the few mainstream Bollywood actors to have a slew of films releasing during the pandemic. Now, he is looking forward to his next movie Ek Villain Returns. The film is a sequel to Ek Villain

(2014) and also stars John Abraham, Disha Patani, and Tara Sutaria. Opening up about the Mohit Suri-directed venture, Arjun says, “I have shot for a few days for the film in Goa and another small schedule in Mumbai. We will have to resume shooting once things are up and running and I get back to that.”

Arjun is now itching to get back to work after the second lockdown after the second wave. “I am slightly prepared this time. But I am a little more impatient to get back to work. The last time there was a lockdown, there was a fear of the unknown. But now it is getting to me,” shares Arjun.

The actor's first release this year in March was Dibakar Banerjee’s gritty crime thriller Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (SAPF). However, the film failed to draw audiences to the theatres owing to the pandemic. Later, the film went on to be called a hidden gem.

Arjun thanks Dibakar for his vision to make him a part of the film, which has suddenly come alive. “SAPF will always be a special film in my career. It pushed me to experiment and get out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad it is paying dividends. As we all know, Dibakar is a visionary director, and he created a raw, unhinged world and highlighted the underbelly of Delhi. I will always be thankful that he saw me as a part of this world and made me the vehicle of chaos in the film,” he says.

“There comes a stage in an actor’s life where one has to walk the path less travelled to make a different kind of mark and, for me, SAPF will always be that film. I’m grateful for the love that the film and my character are getting. I was like an apprentice under Dibakar for three months before we started shooting, and it definitely shows in the film. He has extracted the best out of me, and I will be indebted to him for his belief,” says the actor whose other film Sardar Ka Grandson also premiered on an OTT platform recently.

Arjun’s performance in this film was also well received. “I was playing a mumbling jumbling over the top character in the film who refuses to apologise to his girlfriend and finally ends up pleading with people to help him fulfil his grandmother’s dream,” says Arjun. In real life, he has been very close to his late maternal grandmother Sattee Sourie — the mother of Mona Kapoor.

“When I heard the film’s script, it sounded so much like my nani. Anyone who knew her, including you, will know that she was a feisty woman and very much like the character Neenaji played in Sardar Ka Grandson,” he says.

Arjun was last seen in Bhoot Police with Saif Ali Khan, Yami Gautam and Jacqueline Fernandez. “The film was about brotherhood. Saif and I played brothers in the film who are not exactly similar, and that got me going. To tell you honestly, one of the reasons I did the film was because I got to work with Saif. He is such a phenomenal actor,” Arjun signs off.