Kartik Aaryan is enjoying his boy-next-door image. Be it comic timing of his monologues or his anti-love hero template, he is happy to be seen in romantic comedy genre. Recently in Delhi for promoting Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety , he talks about his choices, working again with the Punchnama team and how being an outsider does not matter to him.
Excerpts:
You are again playing the role of a friend in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety . Does bromance come naturally to you?
Indeed. I can fight for my friends and I would never ditch my friends. My friends can call me even in the middle of night. I am always there for a friend and that’s why I relate to Sonu a lot. He is my favourite character so far. He is too possessive about his friend who is about to get married.
Can the masala and sensible films coexist?
The kind of films that I have been doing they are mostly content based. I am lucky that I found a balance. These films have entertainment value but are relatable as well. I am not doing something that is totally out of the box or realistic cinema. I am somewhere in between these two streams.
The film has the same Pyar Ka Punchnama team. Don’t you think it has become some sort of a camp?
Being the face of all these films, or the Love Ranjan hero, I am really happy and blessed that people are drawing comparisons with other actors. They really love the films that I have done. I did not have any camp thing in my mind. I am very proud of my struggle so far. I created my own niche through Punchnama series. I have seen both success and failure but I stand by my choices. I have worked outside also but it is like my home . This is my fourth film with them. This has happened with a lot of actors in the past. I am not different.
Akash Vani and London Guest did not work at the box office...
That is the kind of industry where every Friday things change and that is why it is called a gamble. I do not really think of numbers before choosing a role. My performance has always been loved whether the film has worked or not. But as an actor, I feel happier when my box office results are also good. You cannot be sure about everything in this industry and that is the beauty of it also. That does not make me crib about things as I choose to move on.
You are one of those heroes who have shed tears on screen. Do you think that expectations from male heroes are changing?
Exactly. There are so many cases where people hold that hero cannot weep. He always fights and wins in all circumstances. However, I believe in contemporary times, heroes have to be real. He has to be very relatable unless you are doing a fantasy like Baahubali . Though Sonu in this film can be counted as the quintessential Bollywood hero, my other characters have been realistic and they don’t shy away in expressing all their emotions and vulnerabilities.
Do you think being an outsider you have to prove yourself with every film?
No matter who you are, you have to prove yourself every time. It has got nothing to do with your lineage. My personal journey has been full of ups and downs as I come from a middle-class family in Gwalior where nobody can think that one can become a film actor. It was tough to convince my parents. I came to Mumbai to study. As my father is a doctor, my parents wanted to see me as an engineer or a doctor. I used to live with twelve people at a time.
Did most of your training happen on set?
No. I was in an acting school called Creating Characters in Andheri. While auditioning, they thought that I have potential so they started teaching me for free. I did my acting diploma from there without telling my parents
You have always kept your private life away from the media. Is it a conscious decision?
I am a very private person and do not believe in mixing my professional life with what is going on in my life in general. It does not mean that my personal life is too mysterious (laughs). I do not like people to talk about me beyond my work.
As an actor sometimes you have to answer certain personal questions but thankfully media has been too kind to me.
