Arjun Kapoor on battling COVID: Felt sluggish, tired through the week

Arjun Kapoor

Getting his groove back has been a challenge for Arjun Kapoor who had tested COVID-19 positive in September. Even as he reported back to the set of Kaashvie Nair's yet-untitled film by mid-October, weeks after his recovery, the actor says the physical and emotional recuperation has been a draining process.

"I was diagnosed positive on a Sunday. I remember waking up the next day with slight fever, body ache, and was feeling fatigued while using the washroom. By Wednesday, it felt like a regular viral and the fever had subsided, but I felt sluggish and tired through the rest of the week. Emotionally, the recuperation is unique because nobody knows how to go about it. Even today, I am careful because the doctors have advised me to take it one day at a time. I don't know how badly my lungs were affected, or how much of my stamina is affected, except that every once in a while, I feel like someone who has recovered from a virus because the fatigue factor is real. I am young, but the senior family members might not be able to cope with this as easily we can," he explains. Having wrapped up the romantic drama opposite Rakul Preet Singh since, the actor headed to Dalhousie last week to kick off the month-long schedule of Bhoot Police.

Yami Gautam, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez kicked off the horror comedy in Dalhousie last week

If battling the virus tests one physically, many have also complained of feeling bouts of loneliness during the home quarantine. "I am fortunate that I had strong support from my family and that I had a house where I could live in isolation. I am grateful because not many people have that."

Off screen, Kapoor may be on the path to regaining his strength, but he is nothing short of a superhero on screen. The actor recently lent his voice to Billy Butcher for the Hindi version of Amazon Prime Video's superhero series, The Boys. "I am a huge fan of the series. I binged watched the entire first season and was eagerly waiting for season 2 when I got a call saying I get to dub season 2 in Hindi. What I appreciated most about the series is the manner in which society turns on its head. We always talk about good versus evil, bad vs. good, who is right and who is wrong. But then suddenly, you are put in this situation where there is a grey area where the heroes are the villains and the villains are the heroes. Even today, thematically it is very relevant to the modern-day setting. What if the people who we worship, and believe as right, are wrong whereas what if the ones who you believe are actually wrong, have a point and actually have something that makes sense? So, it's an interesting paradigm shift from the typical heroes and villains. I really liked dubbing for that because there was a different rhythm in English and then you had to translate it in Hindi. I like the punchlines also "Ab aagaya hai tera baap". I especially liked the last scene of season 2 as well, where he is sitting by the lake."

Arjun Kapoor in The Boys poster

As desi Billy Butcher, he says he isn't envisioning him any differently but paying his own tribute as a fanboy. "I just tried to be honest to what Karl Urban has done. I guess, the only difference is we have punchier lines in Hindi because we appeal to an audience that kind of enjoys action a lot along with the philosophy and thought process. So, you kind of have to appeal to their tastes and I guess sarcasm always doesn't translate in Hindi the way it would in English, so we just had to make those minor tweaks in the dubbing. But the dialogue team did really well, I just had to come and implement it. I am sarcastic and I have always been told don't crack those jokes with a deadpan expression and don't yank people's chain without showing expression like you are making fun of them. Because normally if you do it with a deadpan expression, people sometimes misinterpret it. But in Billy Butcher's case, everybody gets his sarcasm and I really enjoyed doing that bit."

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