Arjun Kapoor says Aditya Chopra didn't think he had the looks to be a lead hero: 'Yeh toh nahi ban sakta'

Arjun Kapoor has said he did not want to take the easy way out by making his acting debut with his producer father, Boney Kapoor. He made his film debut with YRF's Ishaqzaade and has completed a decade in Bollywood.

Arjun Kapoor is all set to celebrate his 37th birthday on Sunday. The actor has completed 10 years in the film industry and has come a long way from his debut film, Ishaqzaade. Arjun recently opened up about his debut film, which was a Yash Raj Films production and getting rejected by producer Aditya Chopra several times, until he convinced him to trust him.

Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in a still from Ishaqzaade. 

In Ishaqzaade, Arjun played a thug named Parma, who falls in love with a hot-tempered Muslim girl, played by Parineeti Chopra. The film was directed by Habib Fasal.

Talking about making his debut with Ishaqzaade, Arjun said, “It was very clear that I don’t want to make my debut with my father (Boney Kapoor because that is the easiest way out. And I think, somewhere, that would be unfair to testing myself to the optimum. That's a safety net. So I went for the audition. Aditya Chopra sir saw my photos and said, 'yeh toh actor nahin ban sakta (he can't become an actor), he can’t be a main lead'.”

Arjun underwent more weight loss and worked on himself for six months. After six months, he did a new photo shoot which made Aditya Chopra say a “reluctant” yes for him to audition.

Arjun also opened up about how he picked up nuances of a small town man from Uttar Pradesh in his debut film Ishaqzaade. “I never even went to UP. I have grown up in Juhu. I had never seen the world. I had read a script and had an assumption which people from big cities have about small towns. I didn't know India. I was a Bollywood-consumed child from Juhu-Lokhandwala. At 23, when I met Aditya sir, I believed I knew who was the audience in India. That film made me realise who is my real audience."

Arjun was supposed to debut with Virus Diwan but the film never got made. Ishaqzaade impressed critics and two years later, Arjun went on to star opposite Priyanka Chopra in Gunday. Since then, he has delivered a few successful films like 2 States and Ki & Ka. He was last seen in 2021 film Bhoot Police and will now be seen in Ek Villain Returns. He also has Kuttey and The Lady Killer in pipeline.