I'd love to date a South Indian girl:Arjun Kapoor

There is no denying that Arjun Kapoor, exudes laid-back charm. The affable actor, who is in Chennai to shoot portions of his upcoming film 2 States, in an exclusive to DC, opens up about why he chose not to read the Chetan Bhagat's novel of the same name, his love for all things south, how his father inspires him on a personal and professional level and why he is not comfortable talking about Sridevi

There is a certain charm about actor Arjun Kapoor that belies his 28 years. At the end of a tiring day of shooting and giving interviews, he still is intelligible and articulate as he settles down for a chat late Thursday night. The actor who is in Chennai to shoot parts of his upcoming film 2 States opposite Alia Bhatt is surprisingly well-informed about Tamil films and the industry here " not surprising, since his father Boney Kapoor is considered to be the king of remakes in Bollywood. Over the course of the conversation, we discover a very different side to Arjun " one that is perfectly happy being where he is right now, a side that craves for a tad bit of normalcy and flashes of some Punjabi exuberance, characterised by his hearty laugh and his chiseled looks. In a heartwarming and honest conversation with DC, he opens up on his character Krish Malhotra of 2 States (based on the eponymous novel by Chetan Bhagat), his connect with the south, his friends here, his dad's influence in his life and why he doesn't like to talk about Sridevi.

Shooting 2 States in Chennai

It's been outstanding so far. Chennai is special because a very important chapter of the book is based in Chennai, and that is just how my director and all of us too, wanted it to be " an important section, not like a caricature, or in a typical, commercial Hindi film kind of way. We wanted to show the beauty of the city. I am glad that we have come to Chennai and we are not creating a set in Mumbai. We wanted to show a north Indian boy actually coming to Chennai for the first time and being enamoured by the city and its culture. That is the freshness of the book too, that the Tam-Brahm community is not portrayed in the way that it normally is. The movie is based on real concerns that are there in our society " a Punjabi boy marrying a Tamilian girl, or even, for that matter, a Gujarati marrying a Punjabi. Those kind of cultural clashes exist. We wanted to represent that as cleanly and as realistically as possible. There are many aspects keyed into the film " the music, the culture, the religion, the nature of society. We also dealt with the language barrier in a realistic way. In fact, English is more spoken here than Hindi, which is a cool thing. For a tourist it is easier to come to Chennai. In fact, even the autorickshaw driver (Eashwaran), I was with today was communicating in English to me. I find that really amazing and that is not an aspect that was really established.

Not reading the book: An intentional choice

It was an intentional choice not to read the book. I thought it would bog me down when I played Krish. I went through the script and was told it was very similar to the book. Chetan had trimmed it for the screen. When I read the script, I loved it. Then I met the director, Abhishek Varman, and we both realised that the interpretation might be too similar to the book, like a copy-paste of sorts. A lot of people who have read the book have already made up their minds about how Krish Malhotra should be, and so, we decided to try and break that notion. For those that have not read the book we wanted to create something from within. There's a lot of sarcasm and poker-faced humour that we have added.

Being Krish Malhotra

Krish is the anti-thesis of a cool guy. He's nerdy, but that doesn't mean he is bad looking. He's a typical good student. He wears glasses, has short hair and has a light stubble in the film. He is constantly running away from the girl in the beginning because he is scared that he is falling in love with her. He struggles with the fact that the sweetest and hottest girl in college has actually fallen for him. I looked at the character from this perspective " here's a self-assured guy. What will happen to him if you put a girl in the equation...how will he react? What lengths will he go to? What happens when the girl sweeps him off his feet? It is always the guy who sweeps a girl off her feet. So, he's very sure and unsure at the same time. He's very sure he doesn't need this, he doesn't need to fall in love, but every time he sees her, he can't help but fall in love with her.

A phenomenon called Alia

It was great fun working with Alia. She's a beautiful, great person to work with. She continues to surprise me. She is so comfortable and effortless in front of the camera that she is not scared to try anything; to improvise. She's very professional and very in sync with the director and the scene. It is exciting to know that each and every actor in my generation is as excited as I am to be in front of the camera. We are willing to experiment, we are not merely saying our lines and going home. We are constantly learning. It is a pleasure to share that kind of rapport with somebody.

A south Indian film? Not now

I am doing Gilli's remake, but the language barrier would be very tough to cross to whole-heartedly give it a shot. For me, it is very important to be convinced about what I am saying in front of the camera, and if I don't know what I am saying, how will I be convinced? I watch a lot of films, including Vettai recently. I really enjoyed it. I love the fact that in the south, genres are pushed a lot more, we question the audience's intelligence a lot more and it is a lot more path-breaking in terms of visuals, technology, style and taking chances. Bollywood is sort of getting there now. The masala has always existed here. It went out of fashion there and now we are making an effort to bring it back because we are basically remaking a lot of films from the south, primarily Tamil. So it is good to know that we can learn from the south. I would love it if they remade a film of mine here.

A south Indian girl friend? Why not?

I would love to date a south Indian girl! I am above and beyond thinking of where she will be from. It is just important that she and me have a connect. I don't believe in creating an ideal prototype of a girl. I think you always end up creating a set ideal and then inevitably, you go against it. I haven't thought about it much. Whatever has to happen will happen. I think more than anything we should be able to hold a conversation beyond five minutes. That's a start (laughs).

Aarambam and Ajith

I happened to see the trailer of Aarambam and loved the fact that it did not have a title in it at all. They released a trailer without a title " what guts! Back in Bollywood, we would probably never have the audacity to release a film's trailer without the name of the film. Probably it has to do with the star status of Ajith sir here that you can pull the trailer off...And the last line is absolutely outstanding " when they ask him if they have decided on a name (referring to the mission in the film) and Ajith says they have not thought of a title yet. It is brilliant. I haven't met Ajith personally, but he found out that I was into weight training and sent me a couple of portable dumbbells. I carry them around everywhere.

Boney Kapoor, a father and an inspiration

My father, Boney Kapoor, has been through so many ups and downs and gathered so much love and adulation that I feel very proud to be known as his son and that I am given that darjah (respect) that he has gathered.

He has tremendous credibility within the industry. He is a giving person at every level...he's been such a good father to us, my sister and myself. He has allowed me to follow my dreams. First, I wanted to be a director and he gave me the go ahead. Then when I came into acting, he egged me on to give it my best shot. Professionally, he has a never-say-die attitude. That is something that exists within our family...be it Anil chachu or my father, being an independent producer is not as easy as being a corporate. So to survive and know the tricks of the trade is a big achievement. He knows exactly what film does well, where and how. He inspires me both professionally and personally.

On Sridevi

She is a fantastic actor and I immensely respect her body of work. The less I say, the better it is. At the end of the day, she is my father's wife. She is a very talented actress and Chennai is her home...It would be very unfair of me to let my personal baggage fall on her body of work, especially in a place like Chennai, where she is loved and respected.

I was wrong about parineeti'

It was great fun to work with her. I didn't like her in the beginning, something everyone knows by now. I was irritated because she used to ask so many questions. It wasn't her fault. Getting a heroine for Ishaqzaade took a long time. When I reached the set I realised that she was a very fine actor who asked all the right questions. I have always told her that when she stops asking questions and gives a shot from her heart, she is a far superior actor. She has eyes that speak, and a very unique personality that comes through. For me, she is one of the guys " with a great sense of humour and she understands mine. She could relate to my struggle because we were going through the same thing together. It's a bond for life. We share a mutual admiration for each other.

On dhanush

I met Dhanush when he was promoting Raanjhanaa in Mumbai. I had seen Kadhal Kondein way back when my dad had given me the film to watch. There is a certain similarity to his characters, but the thaandav that he did at the end is unparalleled. When I met him, I wasn't talking about Ranjhanaa; I was still talking about KK. He was at my birthday at Sonam's house. Ranveer and I tried to make him dance to Kolaveri di and I think he was just taken aback that we wanted him to dance and how happy we were to celebrate a birthday. It was a fun night and everyone was letting loose.

The price of fame

I went to watch Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara at a multiplex here. It was a matinee show. At the theatre, someone turned to me, pointed and said to his friend " "Arrey vo Arjun Kapoor jaise diktha hai. (He looks like Arjun Kapoor). At that point, my hair was cropped for the film and my stubble was a lot lighter. They kept turning around and they didn't realise it was really me. During the interval that they all crowded around me. One guy came upto me, he looked upset and said, Aapne daadhi kyon nikal di? (why did you shave off your beard?) and I explained to him that it was for a film. Nahin nikalna chahiye tha...(you shouldn't have). It was almost like they connected with me because of the stubble and the beard and the hairdo from my first film, Ishqzaade. I found that quite amusing. Ironically, my friends used to always tell me that I could easily be a south Indian hero, thanks to my build and looks. So, I think not only do I have a decent fan following here, but I will have one if I do decide to become a south Indian hero. It was such a good feeling.

4am friend

I can call Varun Dhawan anytime. If he is not busy eating chicken, he will answer my call. He loves his chicken more than anything else in the world! If I need some help or advice, I would call Abhishek, the director of 2 States. I can call Katrina anytime. Salman bhai is more than a friend, he's like a brother and a father figure, so I will not disturb him at 4 am (laughs). Varun and Rohit, David Dhawan's kids, are my go-to people.

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