Arjun Kapoor: Focus on diverse stories, not battle of mediums

Arjun Kapoor says theatres, OTT platforms must co-exist as he straddles distinct mediums with Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and Sardar Ka Grandson.

Arjun Kapoor has two distinct projects on his plate — where Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar hits the big screen this Friday, Sardar Ka Grandson will be his first Netflix original film. Naturally, we start our conversation with the primary difference between the two mediums — the lack of box-office pressure in digital entertainment. “This is the first [digital outing] for me, so I’ll know the answer in due time. But today, a film opening in theatres is not as much about the box-office numbers as it is about bringing people back to cinemas,” he says.

For Kapoor, the black comedy is a departure from his mainstream offerings. He admits that working with director Dibakar Banerjee changed his understanding of filmmaking. “He chases artistic integrity. He can tap into something inside you that even you don’t know exists. At the start of the shoot, he told me, ‘I might not be your best friend, but I will find the best performance inside you.’” That the film reunites him with his first co-star Parineeti Chopra is a bonus. “Ranveer [Singh] and Parineeti are two people with whom I share a kinship. We started out as two people who had no clue about filmmaking, and 10 years on, we have retained that innocence.”

A still from Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar

Interestingly, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar features Jaideep Ahlawat, Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav, each of whom has made his mark in the web world. Asked about how he views the demolition of the star system in the OTT era, Kapoor says, “Bollywood and OTT must co-exist, and not try to outdo each other. More than the star system and battle of mediums, it’s important to focus on the diverse stories that will come to the forefront. Actors and their craft can’t be gauged by numbers all the time. Be it Anushka Sharma producing shows for OTT platforms or Saif Ali Khan starring in Sacred Games, people are now crossing over wonderfully.”

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