I’m very lucky to have worked with them, says Arjun Kapoor
Tiger Shroff and Arjun Kapoor, who have worked with all these flamboyant (in their cinema) makers, analyse what makes them tick. Arjun says, “I’m very lucky to have worked with them. They are this successful because they understand the audience and principally, they are audience members themselves. Intrinsically, that’s important for a producer to think like you’d pay money to watch a film. Of course, we all go wrong. But they learn from their mistakes and emerge stronger. All of them are unique individuals — one is practical, one is suave while the other is helpful. Each one of them is fantastic to work with and talk to.”
1. SAJID NADIADWALA
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Tiger:
Sajid sir has given me life in the industry and I’ll be grateful to him forever. He is the sort of person I can talk to in any situation. I can share anything with him. I don’t discuss my professional work with my mother or my father, but I discuss it with Sajid sir. Any teaser or promo of mine has to be shown to him first. Whenever I need any career advice or solutions to problems, I seek him out. Whether it’s Heropanti (2014), Baaghi (2016) or Baaghi 2 (2018), all three have been successful. So, I also have my best track record with him.
Arjun:
Sajid bhai is an eternal marriage of mass and class. He still makes those larger-than-life entertainers, even with us young actors. He always manages to pitch and scale it in such a way that you feel you are watching 70 mm big-screen cinema. As a viewer, he thinks big. As a viewer, he thinks big. He is like a summer-blockbuster producer we have in India, whether he’s making Kick (2014) or Dishoom (2016) or Baaghi (2016). It doesn’t matter what genre the film is, you always see that sense of cinematic scale. That’s something I love about him. I can spend hours talking to him as he has such amazing stories to tell. And he’s so funny himself.
2. KARAN JOHAR
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Tiger:
Student Of The Year 2 is my first film with Dharma Productions. Karan sir has the aura of a star. He does so many things at once, yet he is so easy and relaxed to talk to. He is down-to-earth and helpful. He is an understanding guy; someone who can read you and help you as an individual. So, the advice he gives me will always be different from the advice he gives x, y or z. One of his many skills is to guide artistes in the right direction. He has launched amazing stars. He is a true Godfather in that sense. Yes, he attempts to get me to loosen up, so to speak, but he has only succeeded partly. He is a lovely human being and he is great to be around.
Arjun:
I’ve worked with Karan as an assistant. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I’ve not seen anybody quite as giving and selfless as him to his directors, actors, friends or colleagues. I don’t think Karan can ever be selfish in that sense. It’s a great quality and according to me, it comes from his personality; it’s an extension of him. KJo enjoys allowing himself to help others in various ways, even if it’s his own directors. Even today, if I want advice from him, I know I can pick up the phone on him.
3. ADITYA CHOPRA
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Tiger:
Frankly, I have hardly interacted closely with Adi sir. You hear of him more than you see him (smiles). However, on the basis of whatever little interaction I have had with him, I can say that he is extremely sorted and clear cut. He is so focussed and passionate about the cinema he makes that you, as an artiste, want to give your best for him. He has a one-track mind as far as his cinema goes and this is something I identify with. Director Siddharth Anand says Adi sir doesn’t usually praise anyone too much. However, on the few occasions when I have received a compliment from him after seeing my introduction scene in Siddharth sir’s film (tentatively titled Hrithik vs Tiger), I was on cloud nine. I’ve been on top of the moon as I value Adi sir’s word.
Arjun:
As Adi sir is someone who stays clear of the world, people don’t realise how passionate and practical he is and how consumed he is by his work. When I signed on with him, he told me, ‘Just remember one thing; you can say ‘no’ to me if you don’t like a script and that means you can say ‘no’ to anybody. At the end of the day, you’ve to back yourself and have that conviction.’ That’s an amazing thing for a producer, who’s launching you, to say. In fact, he should be saying it the other way round, like, ‘Tu aaj ke baad mujhe naa nahin bol sakta nahin toh main tera career stop kar doonga.’ So to speak, ‘I am giving you this opportunity.’He’s always fed in practicality to me, which is a significant trait. You can’t jump the gun thinking about the bigger picture.
He follows the day-to-day pattern, saying, ‘Be grounded, be humble, do your work and go home. Good things happen, bad things happen, it’s okay. You stay a certain way.’ So that neutrality that he has is an amazing quality. He’s neither over-awed by success nor taken aback by failure. And that’s extremely important because he runs a gigantic studio.
