It is always a good feeling to shoot in your home town: Actor Arjun Fauzdar

Actor Arjun Fauzdar, who starred as Rajvir in the recently released film Gurgaon, speaks about his love for acting and transition from theatre to Bollywood.

In his words, Arjun Fauzdar belongs to a genre of life, that is, acting. Arjun, whose latest film was Shanker Raman’s noir thriller, Gurgaon, says he was bitten by the acting bug in childhood. His love for the art started when he first performed in a play on stage, in second grade. “I had a feeling of euphoria when everybody was watching me. Theatre per se wasn’t introduced that much during that time, but I started taking part in extracurricular activities,” says Arjun, who played the role of Rajvir in Gurgaon.

From starring in advertisements, musicals to landing Bollywood projects, Delhi-based actor Arjun Fauzdar speaks about his journey so far.

“Everybody wants to be an actor in Mumbai because so many people are lying to themselves. They want the fame, fortune, but don’t understand that it’s a legit profession that involves a lot of hard work”

Clearly, acting was always in the cards for Arjun. He says that he at first tried to pursue a BBA in Noida, but dropped out as he realised that he wasn’t cut out for it. He then, turned to theatre, where he worked for over a decade in plays such as Avijit Dutt’s direction Pushkin’s Last Poem, which was performed in Russia, and Shivani Wazir Pasrich’s production Draupadi - We Are so Different Now, for the aid of breast cancer patients held in India and New York.

Breaking into the film industry was no small feat, feels the actor. After a few advertisements, he made his film debut with Miss Tanakpur Hazir Ho (2015).“Everybody wants to be an actor in Mumbai. They want the fame and fortune, but don’t understand that it’s a legit profession, which involves hard work. You have to know your drill and strive to work on yourself. It’s a smooth sail if you are a good actor,” says Arjun.

And was the transition from theatre to mainstream cinema difficult? “In theatre, you have to ensure the last person sitting in the audience is able to hear you. With camera, you don’t have to be that strong and loud in actions as it catches even small glimpses and facial expressions. I didn’t find it difficult as I had the adaptive quality, to make that transition. I did my research on intricacies of camera and would watch Michael Caine [actor] workshop videos,” says Arjun, who earned his place in the Limca Book of Records 2014 on winning a reality show.

Originally from Bharatpur (Rajasthan), Arjun switches between his homes in Delhi and Mumbai. Recalling the time spent in Delhi filming for his latest film titled, Gurgaon, he says, “I spent more time filming in Delhi. It is always a good feeling to shoot in your home town. When I am on a set, that becomes my reality. Time hota hi nahi tha sochne ka ki aap Delh mein ya Mumbai mein (It didn’t matter if I was in Delhi or Mumbai, as time would pass by quickly waiting for a shot).”

The actor portrayed a character that had shades of grey in the film. But Arjun is quick to point that he is poles apart to the character he dons on screen. “I believe, when you play a character you have to look the part. That time, I as a person take a back-seat and the character takes the forefront. I am very fun-loving guy. I love being with people and making them people laugh, as it’s very therapeutic for me. I am also aggressive, but I channel that aggression in my work,” he says.

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