Arjun Kapoor has ridden a wave this year, with “2 States” and “Finding Fanny”, also winning appreciation for his performance in the second film. Come 2015, he is set to star in a heartland drama, a remake, “Tevar”. A home production, the film takes Arjun closer to his debut role, and the actor is kicked about the response to its poster, amongst positive feedback. Sniffling with a cold, Pinkvilla spoke to him about his film choices, his “Tevar” and of course, Sonakshi Sinha.
How have your fans responded to the “Tevar” motion poster? Now that you are on social media, have you had direct feedback?
The response has been great so far, very positive. For the first time, I found this very exciting, the build up to the launch of the motion poster. I was directly interacting on twitter, teasing out the launch frequently, and I found this form of engagement very interesting. You get a direct response from people, and that’s different.
The motion poster has also been well thought out; we have put in a certain amount of effort in designing it in an eye catching manner. It doesn’t give out the story, or what the characters are doing in the film, it just introduces the milieu and presents the characters in a different lay out. Since the release of the film is nearly 3 months away, we didn’t want to give out a lot, and the motion poster has achieved the response we were seeking.
“Tevar” comes at the end of a very successful year. You’ve also managed to not repeat your characters in films so far- right from your first movie, “Ishaqzaade” to “Finding Fanny”, you have played different roles. Do you feel that you have become a star, for you don’t always say that about yourself.
I won’t say I have become a star, I don’t think that’s what I want to call myself. True, this year has been very good, with my films becoming successful. People liked the character of Krish in “2 States”, and “Gunday” was a larger than life story.The response to my acting in “Finding Fanny” has been great, my performance has been appreciated. Having said that, I won’t say that I have become a star and that “Tevar” benefits from that or that the film builds on to a star image.
It’s a great team - Sonakshi, Manoj Bajpayee, the director Amit, we all come together to make the film appealing I suppose. We have begun promoting it quite early, with the motion poster. The end of the year has many releases coming up with lots of big stars and “Tevar” is slotted for January 9. We want to position the film correctly, and build correct buzz slowly and steadily.
But the fact that both you and Sonakshi have had a steady number of hits does help the film.
It does, but it’s also the story of the film that is very appealing and has mass appeal. It’s a mainstream masala film. “Gunday” was a larger than life action drama, and “Ishaqzaade” had a very realistic feel. This film falls somewhere in between, and is entertaining and thrilling.
It’s a story about an ordinary boy facing extraordinary circumstances, having to make decisions much bigger than ones he would choose. So it has universal appeal.
Your uncle, Sanjay Kapoor told me that you wouldn’t sign a film just because it’s a home production, the script has to be right too. What made you sign “Tevar”?
Dad had shown me “Okkadu” a long time ago, and I thought it was a great film to remake. We always wanted to make it. This was before my debut, and I didn’t feel that it was the right time to take on a film like that. When we had perfected the script for a Hindi film, I never thought twice before signing it.
Set in small town India, and shot across smaller cities, it has genuineness to it. Now that the film is made, we want to make sure it reaches audiences in the best possible manner, so we are planning to position and market it accordingly.
Last question, Sonakshi Sinha and you have been linked together, since you were spotted at a few movie theaters and in Istanbul. How do you react to that? Does it help the film’s buzz too?
Look, I don’t know if it helps the film’s buzz or raises interest. I won’t say I have made peace with this situation, of a leading man and the leading woman being inevitably linked these days, but I don’t pay much attention to it. Sonakshi and I are childhood friends; we know each other from school. So if we hang out together, we immediately get linked even when we meet with all our friends.
As for speculations around relationships, it’s almost like there is no space beyond either, not on talking terms, and seeing each other. No one can be friends with their co-stars here. So I choose not to react to these link ups