Debutant Arslan Goni, who shares screen space with Kalki Koechlin and Richa Chadda in Jia Aur Jia, talks to Sangeeta Yadav about how he got his Bollywood break, his struggles and the next project with director Sai Kabir
How did acting happenIJ
Being a dramatics student in school, I always enjoyed acting. My English teacher thought I should try acting. When I gave my first audition in school, I choked and my mouth went dry. But I got a hang of it later on. I wanted to be an actor for long but realised my dream only when I was studying law. I took two years to tell my parents that I wanted to be an actor. To my surprise, they supported me even though they were initially unhappy about me dropping out of law school in the first year.
Did you struggle to get a breakthroughIJ
I started pursuing my dream five years back. The first two years, nothing worked out for me. I left the industry for three years and took up a job in an MNC as a marketing consultant to sustain myself in Mumbai. On weekends, I used to assist directors Muzzaffar Ali and Sai Kabir. It is difficult for an outsider to get a break in the industry.
What made you return to actingIJ
I was making a lot of money but was not satisfied with what I was doing. My friend Sam Fernandez suggested I get back to acting. While making the rounds of the studios, I met Muzzaffar Ali and gave an audition. After a week, I got a call from his office saying that the film had been tanked. But he selected me for Jia Aur Jia. I had to look shabby, grow my hair and beard and put on weight. I loved doing that. Forty days after the audition, I finally got selected.
How has it been working with Richa Chadda and Kalki KoechlinIJ
Amazing! I met Richa and Kalki at the airport when we were flying to Copenhagen. I thought both of them were very serious actors and so was quite petrified of the huge responsibility of acting with them. But they put me at ease and it was fun shooting with them.
How did you prepare yourself for the roleIJ
My character is of an Indo-Swedish guy called Vasu Krishna Burgmann who is an alcoholic and a complete opposite of what I am in real life. I had to learn the Swedish language to bring it naturally into conversations. I practised every scene by heart. My first scene was jumping into freezing water. It was tough but fun to do.
Can you recall some fun momentsIJ
Richa is the maddest person out of the three and she plays the most serious character in the movie. Kalki and I used to pull her leg and she used to get really rattled because every time she used to be light-hearted, Muzzaffar used to come and tell her to be serious. But after pack-up, she used to take revenge by making Kalki and me walk late night on the streets of Malmo.
What is your next projectIJ
I am playing a small town journalist in Sai Kabir’s yet to be titled film. The character comes to the city and aspires to be a writer but ends up being a proof-reader in a company. It is slated for release next year.