I am still struggling: Arya Babbar

NEW DELHI - He might be the son of actor-politician Raj Babbar and theatre artist Nadira Zaheer Babbar, but actor Arya Babbar says he’s had his share of struggle in the industry.

“It would be wrong to say that I have been selective in my roles. The truth is I didn’t get work. I have been struggling and fighting to get films. However, after doing Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Jail’ things have improved,” Arya told IANS.

“This is the first time I am working continuously in three films - Farah Khan’s ‘Tees Maar Khan’, ‘Ready’ and one more film. I would just pray to god that I keep getting work like this. I want to work a lot.

“There are some actors who get instant fame and there are actors who take time to climb up the ladder of success, just like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan. However, they have a longer innings. I think I am one of them,” he said.

He was in the capital for the launch of his comic book “Pushpak Viman” at the Oxford Bookstore.

Arya started his career with Amrita Rao in Raj Kanwar’s “Ab Ke Baras” and was later seen in films like “Guru” and “Chamku”, but it was Bandarkar’s “Jail” where his role as a jail convict won him critical accolades.

Arya is currently busy shooting for choreographer-turned-filmmaker Farah Khan’s out-and-out comedy “Tees Maar Khan”. Apart from Akshay and him, “Tees Maar Khan” also stars Katrina Kaif and Akshaye Khanna. The film is slated for release Dec 24.

“This is the first time I am working in a comedy, that too, with people like Farah Khan and Akshay Kumar, and I am really excited. I play the role of a village inspector. It is an out-and-out comedy with shades of angry young man. My look in the film is inspired from that of Anil Kapoor in ‘Ram Lakhan’,” he said.

“I have kept a moustache for this film, you will also see me sporting long hair, wearing kajal in my eyes and ear loops. There is a little Rajasthani touch to my look. It is a character who always wanted to be famous and the film shows how Akshay helps him get famous.

“I have worked to get the body language of a typical villager right. I have also adopted a different style of dialogue delivery,” added the 28-year-old.

Arya further said although they had a lot of fun on the sets, he also used it as an opportunity to learn from his co-star Akshay.

“When you are working with a senior actor like Akshay Kumar, you should not have any ego. You should always grab the opportunity and learn certain things from anyone like him. What I have learnt from Akshay is his energy level, his commitment, his sincerity and the dedication that he has towards his career. Akshay looks better today than the way he looked 10 years back,” he said.