Aditya Roy Kapur’s female fan following seems to have surged post the romantic saga Fitoor based on ’ novel Great Expectations. As the love struck artist, Noor, he kindled a million fantasies lying dormant as he romanced the ethereal Katrina Kaif. Love, as they say, never goes out of fashion. Aditya, too, is no stranger to love. In fact, he began young. “My first date was when I was in standard seven. She was my classmate. Holding hands was a big thing then. We went for a walk. Then we had cheese sandwich at this restraunt in Mahim, Rasika. That’s what I could afford then. But it was uneventful. My problem is that I find it tough to compliment a girl,” he says wryly. The first heartbreak came about when he was in standard nine. “I thought my life had ended. I was deeply upset. But then I passed my exam and that somewhere helped me bounce back. Also, one may face rejection in love but I’ve never cheated on anyone,” he claims.
He values the letters he receives from his female fans though. “I save all my fan mail. It feels nice to know that they understand who I am. What I project about myself is coming through. I feel gratified with the thought that I can continue in this profession by their heartfelt gestures,” says the actor who himself has never been a ‘letters’ person. “I’m not the love letter type. But I’ve received letters when I was in relationships earlier. I’ve not written any but I’ve always replied to them. “Rumours about his on-off relationship with Shraddha Kapoor refuse to die but he denies being in a relationship. “Nobody has come along yet. It’s not necessary to date someone at all times. These things are for the young. I’m growing old. Currently, I don’t have time for dates or flings,” he laughs.
But he lists out what he would seek in a partner, “She should be honest. She should be fun loving, non judgmental, love food, love her family… Am I talking about a wife or girlfriend?” he jokes adding, “An ideal relationship would be where you trust each other, complete each other. Just be happy being with each other. Don’t try to change your partner.” Experience sure seems to be talking. All said and done, Aditya’s basically a reticent person who prefers his work to do the talking. “I still haven’t been able to figure out how to manage PR and stay in the news. I don’t know what to say about myself. Some people will call me ‘a cool guy’ for this and some will say I am jobless. I guess in this business if you are reserved, you have to project even that. You have to be loud about being quiet. That is something I need to understand,” he states. As a person he dubs himself uninteresting. “I’m the boring type. I don’t like to party. I enjoy playing late night football matches instead. Mohit Suri, Shraddha Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukerji and Kalki Koechlin are my friends. Actually, my best friends are my school friends. They have no connection with the industry.” He values the professional inputs of his elder brother and managing director of Disney, Siddharth Roy Kapoor though. In fact, he was the one who urged him to do Aashiqui 2. He also considers what his brother and actor Kunal has to say. “But my mother is my biggest critic. She has no qualms saying, ‘You didn’t give your 100 per cent’ or ‘Your voice is weak’. Criticism is difficult to digest but it’s necessary,” says the actor who will feature in Shaad Ali’s romance Ok Jaanu, a Hindi remake of the Tamil film O Kadhal Kanmani, opposite Shraddha Kapoor.
His fiercely private personality explains why he’s not on social media. “I don’t have a Facebook account. This is a stalker generation. I haven’t stalked anyone but I believe I had the potential to become a stalker. It’s pointless that everybody should know everybody. It’s weird to keep tweeting. Although I am giving it a thought. But then it will become tedious. Everyone wishes you happy birthday and then you wish them back. You have to show that you care. It’s too much. I am bad at answering messages too. I am lazy. Also, I fear that they will act over friendly.” His aversion towards the technology overdrive is evident. “People are not present in conversations anymore. They are preoccupied with their phones. Their mind is somewhere else. I hate this.” That’s why he prefers doing his own thing. “I have my life yaar. I meet friends. I play the guitar. I travel a lot alone. Travel lights up his soul. But he cautions, “When you are travelling, you have to be prepared for the down days also. Because every day cannot be great. Once in a while you will find a great experience... just as in life.”
He credits this sense of maturity to having seen both failure and success. “I began as a supporting actor in London Dreams, Action Replayy and Guzaarish, which didn’t do well. When I tasted success with Aashiqui 2, I didn’t take it seriously. Nothing is permanent. And even if you fail, don’t think it’s the end of the world,” he cautions. “Like Dawat-E-Ishq didn’t do as well. It feels bad when you put so much hard work and it doesn’t work. Some people are going to like you and some are going to hate you. You can’t control that. But you can’t base your self-esteem on the way the people treat you. When your film does well people change the way they talk to you,” he states. “You can’t base your mood for the day on what you read about yourself in the paper whether it is about your relationship or your career. It’s going to get you down. Stay a little detached. That’s why I don’t check newspapers to read stuff about me,” says the sensitive actor. He recalls the best time of his life when he was a VJ for MTV. “It gave me an excuse to bunk college. I had the best time of my life. I interviewed half the industry. It was an eye-opener. Now, I can read a journalist’s mind. Like you could be now thinking, ‘Aaj to kuch mila hi nahi. Shit!’” he laughs.
“On a serious note, I grew comfortable with the camera. Every day was new. There was no monotony. As you grow older you feel more freedom.” He cherishes his 18th birthday the most. “I had to interview Salman Khan during Salaam-E-Ishq. I told my friends that I would finish the interview and then meet them around 11pm. But Salman came in very late.
I was nervous and my palms grew sweaty in anticipation of meeting him. I was scared that if I happened to ask him a wrong question, he’d be put off.” Thankfully, it turned out to be a fun interview. “I cut the cake and celebrated my birthday with Salman till the wee hours. I guess, even he remembers that,” he recalls.
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