Tarun Arora calls himself destiny’s child.
Arora, a Punjabi who grew up in Assam, was working as a model when film work landed. Hawas and Sheen were his first two films, but it was Jab We Met that ignited in him a love for acting. (Remember Anshuman, who rejects Geet Dhillon’s love in the Kareena Kapoor blockbuster?) Now Arora is entering Tamil cinema with Kanithan.
tabloid! caught up with the actor for an exclusive interview ahead of the film’s UAE release this weekend.
How did Kanithan happen?
I must say that destiny played a big hand in this. After Jab We Met, I was getting roles that were somewhat similar to Anshuman and they did not excite me. So I went back to Bangalore, where I was managing a restaurant. I was also into theatre work with Ashish Sen’s Playpen. [Director T. N.] Santosh had come across my photographs and he called up my coordinator in Mumbai. He was looking for someone broad-built and stylish to play the villain in his film. My coordinators described me as a chocolate boy hero and that I would not fit the bill. But Santosh persisted and he managed to get in touch with my brother. So this film was meant to happen.
What preparations did you do to play the part?
Santosh explained to me that Thura Sarkar, the man who runs the fake certificate business, is strong built and a mature guy with greying hair. Thura Sarkar is a guy whose personality commands respect and is in control of everything. It would be hard for anyone to judge him as a scam master. With around twenty days for shooting to commence, I worked on gaining weight. I put on around 7kg.
How about delivering lines in Tamil?
Thura Sarkar is a man of few words so there were few lines to learn. I had an assistant who helped me with dialogues and I could reach him anytime for clarifications.
Can you share some fond memories of Jab We Met?
I clearly remember the day I got a call from Imtiaz Ali. I was in Bangalore purchasing meat for my restaurant when his call came through. I did not know who Imtiaz was then. Looking him up online, I found that his earlier film, Socha Na Tha, had not fared well. Yet I decided to meet him.
I reached his office in Mumbai at 9am and I told him, ‘let’s discuss whatever it is within twenty minutes, so that I can take the eleven am flight back’. Later I learnt that this straight-forward approach convinced Imtiaz that I was the Anshuman he was looking for. Once on board, it was quite stressful being a beginner who was working with two stars, Kareena and Shahid [Kapoor]. I was worried about going for several retakes, but Imtiaz put me at ease and was encouraging. Kareena is a sweet person — contrary to what I presumed. That was a film where I learnt about acting and different aspects of filmmaking.
What’s next?
I am waiting for the response to Kanithan. I am in Goa managing a private resort, Shantie Shakthi, that offers hospitality with yoga and meditation services.
