Sunday, May 19, 2002		Article

"On the screen only your hard work shows"
Rajneesh Kumar Verma

HE strikes one at first glance as a very shy person, a loner. But the intense look in his eyes says it all. He is full of ambition and the shyness is something he has already left behind in his quest for his goal.

Arya Babbar, the son of actor-producer and now member of Parliament Raj Babbar and theatre activist Nadira, is all set to conquer the silver screen after the release of his first film, Raj Kanwar’s Ab Ke Baras in which he stars with debutante Amrita Rao. And though he is excited about his role in the film, he is not really nervous. In fact, he comes out as a young man who can take success and failure in his stride. We caught the star-in-the-making for a short chat recently.

I was interested in the film line right from the time I was young. When I first told my father about it, he laughed it off and said I should concentrate on my studies instead. But as I grew up, I realised that I truly wanted to be an actor and started working hard towards my goal. Idid theatre with my mother’s group Ekjut. I had to do it all — right from being a backstage boy to the long hours of workouts to reduce my weight before I bagged my first film.

You know, my first break had come in school, where I literally begged for a role — and managed a two-minute role — because I wanted to prove to my mother that I had the confidence for acting in her plays. Only students who were getting top grades in class were allowed to act. I was only an average students, but I begged my teacher to give me a chance. I was later part of my mother’s Children Theatre Group and also acted in her first children’s play Aao Picnic Chalen when I was just under ten years of age.

No, it was not as bad as that. But yes, two years ago I did look like Ladoo, the younger Hrithik Roshan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. My friends and sister Juhi often teased and taunted me about this. So I, knew I had to take things in hand. I took to hours of swimming and long workouts. And you can see the results.

It came as a birthday present. When I had just turned twenty a year ago in May, Raj Kanwarji came to our house and told my father that he wanted me to star in his new film, his dream project.

To be fair to my father, he had all plans to launch me. When Raj Kanwarji came to meet him, there was a long discussion, with my father insisting that he would launch me at the right time. I also heard Rajji asking my father whether he could not be trusted to do justice with me. Ultimately my father was convinced.

The film is a musical love story, a thriller based on the theme of re-incarnation and the supernatural. I play a present generation guy, not a collegian with an attitude, but...a cool dude. There are seven songs and I am in all of them.

I remember the day I faced the camera for the first time. I turned up at seven in the morning, when there was no one on the sets. And my shot was only taken in the afternoon, more than seven hours later. Frankly speaking, I had done stage shows so I was not scared of performing, but nervous because I was not sure if I’d look into the camera at the right time or angle. I wasn’t scared but in awe because I had to perform with Dannysaab and Shakti Kapoorji. They are big actors Ihave grown up watching but never met before. Thank God my shot was okayed on the first take.

People think things are smooth sailing for a star kid. I disagree. Struggle will always be there. Of course my parents are under greater tension than I am, but at the end it all boils down to me. The public will not see my director or my parents on screen, but me. And there no father can save you. It’s only you and your hard work. It’s a good feeling that people expect you to be something and not just another newcomer. This makes me feel good.

I enjoy watching films. I also love working out, rock climbing, swimming and trekking. I like loud music, but am fond of ghazals when it comes to Hindi music. My passion for maintaining a diary has also made me take to writing at times.