‘I Was Going Through The Worst Phase Of My Life’

‘It
reached
a
point
where
I
think
I
self-imploded.
I
was
not
a
happy
person.
And
the
fire
within
me
diminished.’

Blockbuster
movies
have
a
way
of
reviving
careers
and
Arjun
Kapoor
hopes
it
will
happen
with
his
villain
role
in
Rohit
Shetty’s



Singham
Again.

This,
he
says,
is
his
‘starting
point’.

“I’m
happy
people
are
liking
my
work…
Now
is
the
new
starting
point.
The
rebirth
or
the
redemption,
whatever
you
want
to
call
it,
I
think
it
starts
now,”
Arjun
said.

He
plays
the
modern-day
version
of
Raavan,
named
Danger
Lanka,
in
the
movie.

The
39-year-old
actor,
who
made
his
debut
in
2012
with

Ishaqzaade,
said
the
offer
for

Singham
Again
came
at
the
right
time
in
his
life.

“I
was
looking
at
a
challenge
and
an
opportunity
to
prove
and
push
myself
and
grab
my
chance
in
a
competitive
environment.
I
thought
this
was
the
right
opportunity.”

Kapoor
has
portrayed
characters
of
varying
shades
right
from
the
beginning,
whether
it
was
his
debut
film
or
movies
like

Ek
Villain
Returns,
Gunday
and

Aurangzeb.
But
the
actor
said
his
portrayal
in

Singham
Again
gave
him
a
chance
to
go
all
out.

“I
knew
it’s
a
blockbuster,
a
big-budget
bonanza
that
people
will
come
to
watch.
If
you
have
to
go
all
the
way
there,
you
choose
a
film
like
this.

“Like,
Ajay
Devgn
sir
did

Khakee.
It’s
a
big
film
in
which
he
chose
to
play
a
villain.
Saif
(Ali
Khan)
did

Omkara
and
Bobby
(Deol)
did

Animal.
So
when
you
go
for
big
films,
you
go
to
the
extreme.
The
payoff
is
that
the
mainstream
audience
that
has
liked
you
as
a
positive
will
also
like
the
negative
thing.”

Arjun
said
he
didn’t
approach
his
role
as
that
of
the
demon
king
Raavan,
though
the
film
is
an
interpretation
of
the
epic
Ramayana.
In
the
film,
the
actor
abducts
Kareena
Kapoor
Khan’s
Avni,
the
wife
of
Devgn’s
honest
cop
Bajirao
Singham.

“I
didn’t
see
it
as
playing
Raavan.
I
thought
of
him
as
Danger
Lanka.
I
was
like,
there’s
an
interpretation
of
the
Ramayana
in
the
film.
Like

Rang
De
Basanti
had
the
legend
of
Bhagat
Singh,
but
it
was
about
those
characters.
He
(Shetty)
was
making
the
Ramayana
the
way
he
had
imagined
it.

“But
for
me,
the
excitement
was
to
play
this
uncontrollable
mad
man,
who
believes
he
is
right.
It
is
a
delicious
place
to
be
at,
you
can
do
what
you
feel
like.
I
did
what
I
felt
like,
and
that
was
the
most
exciting
part
of
the
film
as
an
actor.”

Arjun
said
he
has
become
aware
that
he
needs
to
take
care
of
himself
physically
and
mentally
to
deliver
his
best
as
an
actor.

“When
you’re
young,
you
can
take
on
a
lot.
As
time
proceeds,
I
want
to
be
clear
about
saying
yes
because
I
want
to
really
go
out
there
and
do
a
film.
So
the
choices
you’re
making
on
a
day-to-day
basis
have
to
get
better.

“Post
COVID,
things
didn’t
really
hit
the
spot.
I
signed
a
couple
of
films,
and
not
everything
panned
out
perfectly.
So
for
about
five-six
years…
It’s
a
long
time
before
you
feel
any
kind
of
connect
with
the
audience.
It’s
not
about
praise
or
hate.
You
feel
disconnected
from
your
audience
and
they’re
not
seeing
the
work,”
he
said.

In
an
interview
with
Anupama
Chopra
for

Hollywood
Reporter,
Arjun
had
revealed,
‘When
I
signed
this
film,
I
was
going
through
the
worst
phase
of
my
life.
Personally,
professionally,
emotionally,
mentally
and
physically.
I
did
not
know
whether
I
was
depressed
or
not,
I
just
knew
something
was
not
working.
I
was
procrastinating
a
lot.

‘I
stopped
enjoying
watching
films
and
I
only
know
that.
So
for
me,
my
life
was
films.
And
then
it
reached
a
point
where
I
think
I
self-imploded.
I
was
not
a
happy
person.
And
the
fire
within
me
diminished.’

He
went
on
to
add:
‘I
have
something
called
Hashimoto’s
Thyroiditis.
It’s
an
extension
of
having
a
thyroid
issue.
Your
antibodies
fight
against
you.
It’s
almost
like
I
can
take
a
flight
and
gain
weight
because
the
body
goes
into
stress.

‘The
stress
mode
is
when
your
antibodies
believe
something
is
wrong,
and
it
goes
into
action.
The
more
relaxed
I
am,
the
better
I
look
—
which
is
ironic
because,
in
this
profession,
you’re
not
really
relaxed.’