Discovering myself in Bollywood : Arjun

 At a time when Bollywood actors are going to Hollywood, Arjun Kapoor feels he is too new to go and venture in the West as he wants to make a mark in the film industry here.

Actors like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Nimrat Kaur and others have got work in the West, but the other mainstream actors, like the Khans and the newer generation, have not ventured there. “To each his own. I can’t speak on behalf of anybody.

Right now I am trying to build my audience here. As an actor you need to be in a secure place to move bags there. I feel I have to achieve a lot here,” said Arjun. “I don’t think it’s about heroes and heroines, it’s about what you feel like doing. There are people who get happiness by being here in India,” he said.

The Ishaqzaade actor feels there should be a desire to go and work in another film industry. “The desire has to be there. I don’t know if I have the desire still or not (for going to the West) as I am still new here, I am discovering myself here. I am very new, I have done seven films,” he said.

“I am too new to be thinking of going anywhere else (referring to going to Hollywood). I have not thought about it yet. I would say never say never, if something comes up I will consider it. I am not somebody who would not consider the possibilities,” the 31-year-old actor said. 

“Priyanka and Deepika have achieved a lot here (in India). They have not gone there (Hollywood) for a day, they have gone there for months and for that you need to be in good place in your professional life. One just can’t leave everything midway,” he said. 

The Gunday actor will be making his voice over debut with the character of Buck in the Hindi dub of the Hollywood adventure Ice Age: Collision Course. He was thrilled to do the voice over for the character of Buck, a weasel, who first appeared in 2009 film Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. 

“It’s interesting to do a voice over for a film. I wouldn’t know it’s easy or difficult as you make it (character) yours. For this film (Ice Age), it took me first few hours to set in, as the rhythm is already set (for the character). I had to then add my graph and energy. It was a learning curve for me and I enjoyed it,” he said.

Talking about his upcoming movie, Half Girlfriend, the actor said that people associated with the popular NBA from America helped him fine-tune his basketball skills for the film. “In the book, basketball is a crucial element at the beginning of their relationship. It’s because of basketball that he gets the confidence to talk to the girl. 

We wanted the basketball to look real, not just we bouncing around the ball for the sake of it. That is the reason, people from America and NBA came to train us and spent two and a half months with me,” the actor said.