Aadar Jain had his first screen appearance on television in Farhan Akhtar's Oye! It’s Friday. Instead of jumping on whatever came his way, the cousin of Ranbir Kapoor spent time in shaping himself as an actor in acting schools. Here he talks about his early influences, his education at acting schools and the raging nepotism debate.
Excerpts-
Did you always want to become an actor?
Though I come from a film family, I never went to a film set during my childhood. By the time I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to become an actor. For my mother, the benchmark of dedication was my grandfather, Raj Kapoor’s obsession with arts.I first went to a film set when I started assisting Karan Johar in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil . People were speculating that my first film would have lots of songs and I would be launched with pomp and show but I didn’t it. I met Shanoo Sharma (casting director at Yash Raj Films) who also does casting for Dharma Productions when Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was about to complete. I had to go through an audition with 30-40 boys under Habib (Faisal) sir for getting this role.
A lot of actors coming to the industry these days are trained in acting through theatre or film institutes. What was your training process?
I did a course in acting from the New York Film Academy and also a short course in filmmaking to understand the basic premises of filmmaking. But I was interested in understanding the nuances of acting so I attended a method acting course at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Acting is something subconscious and is like having a conversation from your heart. It is like being naked when your true emotions come out as you are so vulnerable. That has to be seen on screen. More than the acting school, I learned through conversations I had with Habib sir.
How challenging was playing a prison inmate?
The Tihar jail has a competition called Tihar Idol as a reformation process and there is a band called ‘The Flying souls’ which is the inspiration behind Qaidi Band . The characters in the film are not caricatures but actual people and the events are real. Seventy percent of jail inmates are under trials who could not afford lawyers . I have learnt a lot from the story and have realised that I should not take even smallest of things for granted. We all live in luxury in one way or the other, but life in jail is very tough.
How did Habib Faisal train you?
He is a tough task master and a fatherly figure. As he has a journalistic background, he has so much knowledge not just about cinema but also about India in general. He broke all the influences that I had and made me use the emotional recall method which I learnt in acting school. He also has a theatre background and is very particular about everything. In art, one has to be true to oneself. Ye sports nahi hai jahan koi first ata hai, toh jeetta hai. (it’s not sports, where the one who comes first, is the winner.)
You are also a trained drummer. Since the film is about a music band, your training must have helped you?
My grandfather used to say every person should play at least one musical instrument. Music has always been a part of my life. It is therapeutic as it lifts your mood. I did drums in my school band and it was my process to give vent to pent up emotions. I liked the film Whiplash which is the story of a drummer and a trainer. I always wanted to act in such a film with Habib sir as the tough trainer.
You must be facing the questions of nepotism. How do you react?
I face it every day (laughs). Nepotism means favouritism to relatives. But Aditya Chopra is not my relative, and I had to give an audition for the film. If that would have been the case, RK Studios would have launched me. I would have asked Ranbir or mama ji (Rishi Kapoor) to make a film for me. I want to assert my position with my work, not through my connections. My co-actor Anya does not come from a film family but she is sharing the screen with me. They have seen talent in us and that is why taken us. I want people to come and watch the film and then judge me. Odds are the same for every actor.
Lucknow Centralstarring Farhan Akhtar also has a similar plot. Don’t you think people will compare your work with him?
I have seen the trailer and have realised that the setting is similar but it is different as it is their own interpretation. People compare Dangal and Sultan also, but both films are good. I hope both films should do good business.
