Aditya Roy Kapur: Was action film fan while growing up

Aditya Roy Kapur in the film

After playing a carefree lover boy in Ludo (2020), it's guns and gore for Aditya Roy Kapur in Om: The Battle Within. Even though he was coming from the charming world of an Anurag Basu film, the universe of the actioner drew him in immediately. He attributes it to the film's strong emotional anchor. "For an action movie, it has a lot of heart," he says. "It is about a family's trials and tribulations. It doesn't feel like I have departed from emotions, and landed in an action bonanza. The film has to have more because it's the emotional core that makes people care for the characters."

Prepping for Kapil Verma's directorial venture was a demanding affair. Over four months, the actor underwent gun training, blade training and picked up the basics of different forms of martial arts. "It wasn't just about going to the gym and developing my physique. Here, I had to learn action. The gruelling work is what I signed up for. In Om, I had to get into the psyche of a man who puts everything on the line. My father was in the army, so I grew up listening to his stories. [I borrowed from there] to understand the mind of the protagonist."

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The genre of action seems to have reeled him in. After Om, Kapur will be seen in The Night Manager adaptation and Gumraah. "The genre has everything to consume me. I was an action film fan while growing up. I wanted to do action in real life, and that's so problematic. It took me a while to arrive at the genre, and now, I'll definitely do more of it."

Sandeep Modi, who previously helmed Aarya, will direct the Indian adaptation of The Night Manager. Earlier, Hrithik Roshan was in talks to play the lead, but eventually bowed out of the project. Is there a sense of pressure as Kapur steps into his shoes? "There will always be pressure when you are creating something big. The decision of whether it is liked or not rests with the audience. I try to not let the noise get in the way of work. The best work comes when you don't take pressure. I want to sleep at night knowing I did justice to my role."

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