My role in Right Yaaa Wrong has put me in the map as an actor to reckon with — Arav Chowdharry

March 27, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Arav Chowdharry tells Jyothi Venkatesh that though there were quite a few hot scenes in Right Yaaa Wrong, where Isha Koppikkar and he roll on top of each other half naked passionately kissing each other, both on the bath tub and on the bed, the scenes could be deleted because they are inherent part of the script.

Were you confident about making an impact with your role in Right Yaa Wrong in spite of stalwarts like Sunny and Irrfan? I had absolutely no doubt that my role in Right Yaaa Wrong will put me in the map as an actor to reckon with. It is a bold subject, which is on par with any International film with a fast pace and a lot of twists and turns. Is it true that you did not take up even a single project as long as you were working in Right Yaaa Wrong?

For the past three years ever since Right Yaaa Wrong was launched, I chose not to do even a single frame of any thing, though in the past I had acted in films like Dhoom 1, Lakshya, The Perfect Husband,The Deadly Disciple and 88 Antop Hill, for the simple reason that I have had this courage of conviction that this film will work wonders as far as my career is concerned.

How was the experience of doing the passionate love making scenes with Isha Koppikkar?

I found Isha very easy going and we shared quite a good camaraderie on the sets. She is quite a professional actress. Though there were quite a few hot scenes in the film, where we roll on top of each other half naked and passionately kissing each other, both on the bath tub and on the bed, the scenes could not be deleted because they are inherent part of the script.

Tell me about your days as Mr India and your stint as a stage artiste!

Though I won the crown of Mr India way back in 1999 and have walked the ramp for Provogue, Muzafar and Meera Ali, Araya etc and have appeared in countless ad campaigns as a model, I hail from Jaipur and am basically from theatre. Both Irrfan and I have done theatre in Jaipur at the Ravindra Manch. I have acted in the play Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala, directed by Nikhilesh and an adaptation of The Westside Story. It had twelve songs sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Sapna Awasthi.

You have acted in TV serials too!

Though I had also done TV serials like Captain Vyom for Ketan Mehta and Dil Na Jaane Kyon for Zee TV, I’d like to call myself more as a model, who has also done a lot of music videos. I cherish the experience of having done quite a few ads for acclaimed directors like Shekhar Kapoor, Prahlad Kakkar, Kailas Surendranath, Kunal Kapoor, Shantanu Sheorey etc for products like Zodiac, Vimal, Old Spice, VIP Briefs and Suitcases.

How do you look back at your career over the years?

I am learning every day. I see myself on the screen and keep on learning not only as an actor but also as a person. I feel that I am evolving every day. The reason you would not find me wooden as an actor though I have been a ramp model and have modeled is that I was first an actor and then a model. Today the biggest of actors do ramp modeling, including Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan and the days of classification are over.

What kind of roles do you seek as an actor, after Right Yaaa Wrong?

I aim at anything that gives me exposure and is good stuff to get my teeth into it as an actor. In today’s times, there are only script driven roles and there is nothing as such which can just be termed as negative or positive roles. I am a trained actor. I dance well and am in good shape and as such I am game to do whatever role is offered to me, whether it is out and out black or out and out white. I am self taught. Though I did not learn from any acting guru, my stint as an actor in theatre has stood me in good stead. I have to my credit five years of theatre with various groups. It made my foundation as an actor. I am an actor. I am no star son and hence have to work on my own steam to survive as an actor in the industry. I am game for whatever cinema I am called upon to do as long as I get good work.

Is there any other film up your sleeves after Right Yaaa Wrong?

Besides Right Ya Wrong, which has now seen the light of the day, I have one more film called Season’s Greetings in which I play a super rich, successful and also good looking dude, with whom Tabu is obsessed to the point of no return, so much so that Tabu makes it a point to even keep my pictures in her desktop as screen saver. Tabu and I are in a relationship which turns sour in the film. Season’s greetings is a romantic comedy which has multiple tracks, with actors like Shreyas Talpade, Sohail Khan, Ashish Choudhary, Javed Jafferey, Saurabh Shukla, Vatsal Seth, Raima Sen and Ria Sen and has a story which happens in two days.

Who are your favorite directors?

My favorite directors are Imtiaz Ali, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra and last but not the least Shaad Ali. I would love to work with them and be a part and parcel of their projects, whatever the role they offer may be, because I am one hundred per cent sure that even the tiniest roles in their films will take the actors who play the roles to the next level.

- Jyothi Venkatesh / Sampurn Wire