Arjun Kapoor

Acting Debut in Ishaqzaade ( 2012- 2013) Arjun Kapoor made a star debut in the blockbuster Ishaqzaade opposite Parineeti Chopra in the year 2012. The crime drama saw him delivering a towering debut playing a chauvinistic character which caught the attention of the industry quickly. Kapoor received hugely encouraging reviews for his rustic yet self-assured interpretation and he followed it up poorly by going on to star as a gangster in Yash Raj Film’s Aurangzeb, where he paired up with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Rishi Kapoor in the lead roles, his restrained performance as a gangster who gets caught up in a mismatch of identity with a commoner after a turn of events, was well appreciated though the movie went on to be a failure at the box office but Arjun Kapoor had already made his presence known in the industry where he was praised for his ability to shoulder serious roles devoid of any kind of “ over the top charm” that the usual Bollywood heroes are branded to carry in their roles, and his matured performances marked his entry into the big league. Strong-footed follow-up ( 2014) The year 2014 was crucial for Arjun Kapoor as he had many releases up his sleeve from major directors and production houses lined up. He kick-started the year by starring in Ali Abbas Zafar’s crime drama Gunday wherein he paired with Ranveer Singh for the first time along with Priyanka Chopra. In the film, they were seen as two youngsters of the 1980s Calcutta who set out to rule the city as the top goons. The movie set out to explore a yet untried side of Kapoor where he got to mild humour in parts which was well accepted and the movie though garnered mixed reviews went on to be a huge commercial success. But after constantly being cast in action movies Kapoor finally got a break later that year, in the film version of Chetan Bhagat’s acclaimed novel Two States; the movie too shared the same title, where Kapoor was seen opposite Alia Bhatt, as a happy go lucky Punjabi boy studying in the IIM who falls in love with a girl from Chennai, and the attempts made by the pair to bring together the parents from the two contrasting cultures to get consent for their marriage. The movie opened up a new realm for Kapoor as he was seen effortlessly matching up to Alia Bhatt in his performances and the movie was praised by critics for matching up to the bars set by the original novel. The year also saw him coming up with yet another stunner in the satirical road movie Finding Fanny along with an ensemble cast including Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Deepika Padukone in the lead. The film narrated the road trip of a group of friends who travel together to find Fanny the true love of the character played by Naseeruddin Shah, where Arjun Kapoor was seen coming up with his career-best performance to date for his at-ease portrayal of the character “Savio Da Gama”, devoid of the usual bluntness that the actor was accused of bringing into his character. The movie marked a major benchmark in Kapoor’s career and was a critical phenomenon with screenings in many reputed film festivals all around the world. Recent Films ( 2015 -2017) Kapoor’s only release for the year 2015 was the action masala entertainer Tevar, opposite Sonakshi Sinha which went on to be a washout outing. Arjun Kapoor was next seen in the lead in Balki’s romcom Ki & Ka, opposite Kareena Kapoor which dealt with the themes of gender stereotyping in Indian relations. The movie saw Kapoor playing a ‘House Husband’ which was cited as a bold role selection of role that only few actors in Bollywood could have committed. The movie had a good opening at the box office although garnered mixed reviews for his performance and incidentally was his last release. Kapoor is currently shooting for the film adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s best-selling novel “Half Girlfriend”, the movie with the same title will see Kapoor paired opposite Shraddha Kapoor. Arjun Kapoor has also signed up for Anees Bazmee’s directorial Mubarakan along with Anil Kapoor and Ileana D’cruz in the lead.