| What sort of relationship do you share with your father “I don't get too much time with him because we don't live together. He's busy with his production company, and now, me with my movies. But we speak more often now because he knows so much about this industry. I respect him for that. Mum was the friend. He's always been the protective father, watching over us, providing.”
Do you grudge him for having moved out of home for Sridevi (actress), marrying a second time “ I don't grudge him anything. I told him, do whatever makes you happy. He's my father. How can I not love him? But it wasn’t easy. It's ok for me to sit here and speak all these years later. Back then, when we were kids, it was difficult. But what can you do? How long will you complain? You have to accept what is, take it on your chin, and move on.”
So, does the entire extended family share a comfort level? You with Sridevi, for instance “I'd rather not answer that.”
The song Pareshan, in which Parma romances Parineeti Chopra, makes his gun a prime prop. What sort of lover do you make “I haven't been in love for seven years, but I'm emotional when in a relationship. It's my release, since I'm closed otherwise. Passionate is how I'd describe myself. I think I give women space, but they might tell you otherwise.” Would you do-or-die in love? “ No.”
Sonam, Priyanka, Katrina and Bipasha - all the lovely ladies are rooting for you. The sudden female adulation is coming your way does it get’s embarrassing “Every man craves for female attention, so I won't deny that I am excited. I hope to work with them someday. I thank all my female fans for their kind words but it is too embarrassing for me because all my life I have never had female friends. I get nervous while talking to any girl so it’s all very new for me.”
Though the actor did manage to lose a lot of weight, Arjun confesses he still gets panic attacks if he piles on a few pounds. “It’s difficult initially, but slowly it becomes your lifestyle. I still love eating. In my head, I am a fat person and I still panic when I put on some weight. I imagine I am bloating. I've won the challenge, now I must sustain it. It's ongoing. I can't stop eating, but now I'm careful. I'll pick a roti over a bowl of rice.”
They've been cagey about sharing information on the film, other than that it's a love story set against the backdrop of a political feud. What more can you tell us “The film is set in a fictitious town in North India. What people perhaps haven't caught from the trailer is the politics running beneath the love story. It's at the core of the plot, just the way it is for most people in small-town India.”
Who is Parma? What's he like? “He is the typical country boy. He speaks and acts before he thinks or feels. There's not much to worry him. His grandfather is a powerful politician, so life is sorted. He rarely plans. He just goes ahead and does. And it's the same when he falls in love.”
Is that close to who Arjun is? “ I've never been in a fight, not even while in college. But that's probably because I was rarely at college (laughs). No, seriously, I've never been beaten. Parma gets down and dirty. He lets his emotions show. I internalise things. My sorrows and joys are private.”
Less than a 15 days to go, are you feeling the heat? “One poster changed everything. I was blissfully unaware of expectations, shooting in a small town, doing my thing. But the teaser poster, promo and the appreciation that followed have made me anxious. Now, I am on the edge.”
This 'star-status' is new, are you prepared to take on the rumours, controversies et al... “Star is a big word; I think I'll have to work a lot to earn that status. But growing up in the industry, I've seen my family go through this process.” |
