His last venture Fitoor opposite Katrina Kaif did not do well at the box office, but Aditya Roy Kapoor is now looking forward to his next movie, OK Jaanu, directed by Shaad Ali. Aditya’s last film with Shraddha Kapoor, Aashiqui 2, was a box office churner, so there is hope that the chemistry between them will again create wonders.
Aditya says 2016 was a year of many ups and downs. “I started with Fitoor, but it didn’t do well. I shot for 40 days for OK Jaanu, and loved it. We went for a world tour and it was fun, interesting and full of work,” he says.
He has been very choosy with the kind of roles he takes up and does just one or two films a year. He wants to do a lot of work but has not found scripts to his liking. “I don’t like the scripts I read. I take my brothers’—Siddharth and Kunal—advice. I have just started my career, but at the same time I don’t want to do films just to be seen. I want to give my hundred per cent.”
The actor says that he wants to break the mould with every film he does. “I want to experiment and do action films now. I grew up watching action movies. In OK Jaanu, people will see me in a new light.”
In the film, he plays “Adi, a short form of Aditya. Adi is a video gamer from Uttar Pradesh and has come to Mumbai for a job. He has big aspirations, wants to go abroad and become rich. He does not take things and relationships seriously. He is footloose and fancy-free. I could relate to him because I had gone through that phase a few years ago. I was not sure what I wanted”.
OK Jaanu is a remake of Tamil hit O Kadhal Kanmani directed by Mani Ratnam. Aditya says director Shaad Ali insisted on watching it. “I loved the movie and that’s how I decided to do it. The film also had the best of the industry. Mani sir is producing it along with Karan Johar. It has lyrics by Gulzar and music by A R Rahman. You have to wait for years before working with such legends. It was overwhelming. They had confidence in Shraddha and me,” he exclaims.
“We shot the film in south Mumbai. I grew up in Colaba. We shot on a bike around every corner in summer and it was hot. We would love to go on the bike because we could feel the breeze while riding it.”
Aditya’s onscreen chemistry with Shraddha has been compared to that of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Aditya doesn’t want to compare himself with them. “Sometimes pairings work and some things click. I’m glad people feel our onscreen chemistry is good. We were not confident and easy when we came on the sets. This is my second film with Shraddha. She is always excited and loves coming on the sets every day. She gives out positive energy. Actresses work more than actors and she has been doing more than me. After doing so many films, sometimes things become mechanical, but not with Shraddha.”
The main reason he took up the role was because he never got to play an urban character like this. “I never got to play a character like this which had an urban and romantic feel to it,” he says.
The film is about a couple who are living together. “I have never been in a live-in relationship. My friends have, but most of them were serious about their relationships. Sometimes people do that before they get married to see if they are compatible. I would love to be in a live-in relationship if I feel the need,” he explains.
He thinks marriage is a big decision. “I definitely believe in it. I don’t know when I will get married. It’s an institution that everyone believes. My parents have been married for so long and so have my brothers. Marriage has been formed because people believe in it.”
On his friendship with Katrina and Ranbir, Aditya says, “We all have been in the industry for a long time now and we know what’s the truth. We trust each other.”