Aditya Roy Kapur on The Night Manager 2, hunt for intense love story and fighting perception of being ‘laidback’: ‘Hungry to be uncomfortable’

In an interview with indianexpress.com, the actor opens about the success of the show, yearning for an intense romantic film, not wanting to do only heavy-duty actioners and what specifically is he hungry for at this stage of his career.

Edited excerpts:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Disney+ Hotstar (@disneyplushotstar)

How does the reception to the show feel like?

It feels great because every time you put so much efforts into something, like we did on this one, and then to see the results. The expectations were high this time, the bar was pretty high. So it feels good that people have given us that love, it fees very satisfying to have completed the job properly. There was a nervousness to see if it connects or not.

How do actors measure what they have done has been well received? What’s your process– social media monitoring, reviews or the number of texts you receive?

I have realised that no matter how good you are, if the story or the project doesn’t work in its entirety then… You do get the appreciation, but it is not the same as when something is liked as a whole. If you are good in a not so good film, you do get a certain amount of appreciation but it’s not the same as when it does well. Sometimes when a story doesn’t connect as a whole, a great performance is also overlooked. But when people tell you, ‘We didn’t like the film as much but you were good,’ even that feedback is important because it reminds you that you did your job well.

Have you been reading that there is some demand for a spin-off of your character from the show?

It does sound interesting because Shaan is a character that one implies has already lived quite a full life even before you see him on The Night Manager. There is definitely a story there that can be explored. But of course, the ones who have to be excited about this are the writers and the directors. As actors, if you give us a good role we will turn up on sets, but they have to be first sufficiently excited by the idea.

Your last few projects signal that you were in the headspace of something intense, action oriented. Is that what you are feeling like?

Maybe I was at some point, but now I am not looking at doing thriller and action stuff. I am actually working with Anurag Basu in Metro In Dino which is not intense, it is a light romantic film. I am very happy I am doing that because as an actor you want to keep bouncing off and not be in the same space. I guess what happened was after Malang, which was a thriller love story, a couple of more interesting roles came my way and I chose to do them. It’s a genre I love and when it gets right, it really does well. So maybe that’s why it looks like the last few ones have been in that space. Having said that, these projects have been different from one another. It is not that I just want to do thrillers and action– no, that’s not the case.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @adityaroykapur

You rightly mentioned Metro because a section of the audience does miss you in the soft, romantic roles that you had done in the earlier phase of your career– Aashiqui, Ok Jaanu, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani….

May be that’s something I should think about more when I am making my choices. May be that’s why I am happy that Metro In Dino is coming, that section will get to see me in that space. I love doing these films as well, it is a lovely genre. But yes, I would love to do another romantic film, an intense love story. Put the word out!

Your public image is of a chill, laidback guy, but there seems to be very aggressive work going on behind the scenes in terms of the projects and role you choose. There is a dichotomy. 

From the outside one could perceive me to be laidback but I have never been laidback when it comes to my work. I may be laidback with other things, like being a public personality, PR or other peripheral things. But the reason I am here is because I love my work, creating characters. So from the outside there can be a perception that I am laidback, but the work is something I have always been super passionate about. But I think I need that balance; I am super aggressive and intense when I am working and then maybe sometimes, I do need a switch off where I don’t feel that… I can’t be ‘on’ all the time. I need to recharge and come back, so that I give my 100 percent to my next thing.

At this stage of your career, what are you hungry for?

To keep pushing what I can do. In Malang, I realsied I can do action– after 10 years of being in the industry. Then when you do it, people start looking at you in a different light. But they need to see you first! So I want to keep placing myself in places where I am slightly uncomfortable, to put myself in places where I am reaching a little bit for something I haven’t done before. I am hungry for that sensation of being uncomfortable.