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A new take on love

Kapoor pair
Last Updated 20 May 2017, 18:40 IST

They represent the fast-moving new generation that commands fandom and commercial clout besides histrionic expertise. Somehow, Arjun Kapoor, gregarious, funny and mischievous, and Shraddha Kapoor, delicate, grounded and ardent, had never come together in a film before. It’s another matter that Arjun was great buddies with Shraddha’s brother, actor Siddhant Kapoor.

But now they are doing Half Girlfriend, an intense story of a relationship, based on the Chetan Bhagat book of the same name. Shraddha plays a high-society Delhi girl. The actor even met and interacted with several high-society girls and made notes. “Their mannerisms and body language were interesting things to pick up,” she says. Director Mohit Suri, says Shraddha, is a very emotional man and totally involved in his film. “He sits impossibly close to the monitor to overview the shots he takes. And he is moved by what he sees,” she explains.

She adds that every Mohit Suri film has tapped a different facet of her talent, from Aashiqui 2 to Ek Villain to Half Girlfriend. “It’s the way I have been presented too — Mohit has projected my tomboyish side here.” About their ever-evolving bond, Shraddha notes, “I would have been angry with Mohit if he had gone to someone else for this film! I would like to be a part of each and every film of his. What more can I say than the fact that we complete each other’s sentences now in a conversation?”

Movie talk
Sport plays a central role in the film, and her character is also fond of sports in it. “I was a sports enthusiast in real life,” she says. “In basketball, I was the best substitute player, whenever someone was tired or injured.” “I too loved basketball in school, and it’s an amazing sport,” Arjun contributes. “Now, there is a newfound love for it as I understand the nuances.” The actor calls his character, Madhav Jha, as someone very inspiring. “His soch (mindset) is unique. He gets into national level basketball so that the marks added to his academics can help get him an admission into college. He wants to reach a  high level in education so that he can help his village in Bihar. It’s a very selfless philosophy. At about 20 or 22, he wants to build toilets for everyone. At that age, who thinks like that?”

The film also makes a point, graphically in a key sequence, that English is not a yardstick to assess anyone’s calibre or intelligence. “Why do we automatically ascribe a lower level to someone who does not know good English?” Arjun wants to know.

How different was it here that the writer, bestselling author Chetan Bhagat, is also the co-producer? Says Shraddha, “Oh, Chetan is a very entertaining guy. He is also very inclusive. In any conversation, he tends to bring you in even if you are just a friend of his friend.” Arjun adds that the writer was barely on sets but has an immense connect with the people in the country. “I am on home ground in a way,” he smiles. “This is my second film as his story’s protagonist after 2 States.”

Arjun is happy that the trailer of the film has got compliments “that movies do not get.” He adds, “The best part was that my character isn’t a caricature of a Bihari, as seen in so many films. The clichéd touch would have been easy, but here we have made a correct representation. Remember that Bihar, for all its negative branding in our minds, is the place that had the first university in the world and boasted of so many immortal scholars. I was coached in Bihari by a dialogue coach and practised by speaking in that language off-screen.”

About his next film, Mubarakan, an Anees Bazmee comedy in which he plays a dual role, he promises to talk more when the film is due for release. “Right now, all I will say is that a family comedy is an alien genre for me, and though I put my 200% blood, sweat and tears into every role, comedy is way tougher than anything else. But it’s a nice challenge, and the bonus is Anil Kapoor, my uncle and co-star. He’s the man who has always been my inspiration, and after 30 years, we have both discovered new things about each other while working together,” he says.


We ask Shraddha why a song sequence in which she gets drenched in the rain (Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain, Baaghi) is almost a compulsion in every film of hers, and she laughs, “It’s just a coincidence. Maybe rain denotes romance.”

Musical notes
As a star-singer though, what does she feel about the tirade against fellow-actor Sonakshi Sinha by singers Kailash Kher, Sona Mohapatra and Armaan Malik? “See, I look at it in a very simple way,” she says seriously. “We are all from one industry, and many of us, even singers, do other things they want to or like to try doing. We must support each other and not pull each other down. Look at Parineeti Chopra — how beautifully she has sung in Meri Pyaari Bindu.

About the bad run (Haider, Rock On 2, Ok Jaanu) she has had since Baaghi, all she does is quote what her mother said to her: “Don’t let success go to your head, and failure to your heart.” She is now confident that her next film, Haseena, in which she plays Haseena Parkar, the crime don, will also work.

But is it alright to glorify a real criminal when biopics should actually be made on achievers, like Mary Kom, Dangal and even the film she is reportedly doing on Saina Nehwal? “I don’t think we are glorifying a criminal by telling their story. Let’s not judge them that way. Do you think, for example, that Godfather glorified that don?” she asks, a shade naively. So we let it pass.

The two actors have nothing but praise for each other. Says Shraddha, “Arjun has such a great sense of humour. His Hindi and English are both so good, whereas my Hindi is not strong. He is innocent, very expressive in the way he talks and emotes, and in his house, I have had the loveliest ghar ka khaana, like jungli mutton!”

Grins Arjun, “I hope she knows that I did not cook it. On a serious note, this girl is so persevering. She will never accept defeat.”

Finally, how do they choose their assignments? Says Shraddha, “With every film, I have to grow. I ask myself whether I will be happy and passionate while working on a film. And my inner voice gives the reply.” Arjun is more simple and direct in his approach. “The film I do must entertain! But yes, there must be growth too.”

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(Published 20 May 2017, 16:30 IST)

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