Arjun Kanungo is already a musical pop icon of the country and now he is ready to make his way into the acting field this Eid with Radhe. Recently, Arjun also released his latest single Famous, and it is already creating huge buzz in the industry.
In an exclusive conversation with Spotboye.com, the singer turned actor gets candid about his new innings in showbiz, challenges he faced as an Indie artist, battling Covid-19 and his future plans. Read excerpts from the interview:
How has the reception to Famous been?
We launched the song on April 26 and it has been received very well. I haven’t been promoting it much because of the pandemic, since it isn’t a good time. I was considering postponing the release but we had so many partners involved that it became impossible at the moment to push the release. We have released only the audio and no video yet, but the response has still been amazing.
The song seems like it is about self-praise. What was your inspiration behind it?
It wasn’t supposed to be like that, about self-praise. It has been a very tough time for everyone in this pandemic. Morale has been very low with everyone sitting at home and even seeing the news being not so positive. I wanted people to feel positive about themselves and that’s why I wrote this song. I thought maybe if they would sing along to it, they might feel better. It was never supposed to be about self-praise but for people to feel confident in such tough times. The most that we can do in these times is sit at home and be happy. It’s just a way of entertaining them.
Radhe’s release is just around the corner and it marks a new inning for you. How excited are you about this new phase and what can you tell us about your role?
There’s excitement and nervousness. It’s my first film as an actor and I can’t wait to see people’s reaction to my performance. It’s very unusual and it’s the first time I am doing something so out of my comfort zone. I am nervous and hoping that people like it. I can’t talk about my role in the film because the makers want my character to be a surprise in the film.
You have done music videos before but how was the experience of being in front of a camera different while you were trying out your histrionics?
It’s completely different. I am a trained actor and I have studied acting in 2014 in New York. After I came back to Mumbai, my focus had purely been on music for six years, so I hadn’t acted in so many years. To be in front of the camera and say dialogues was different. I had done music videos but they didn’t have any dialogues. The biggest change was to act and perform with dialogues but I took it like a fish to water. I really love acting and it was always something I wanted to do and that’s why I studied acting before foraying into it.
You are debuting with such a big superstar, Salman Khan. What did you learn from him while working on Radhe?
I learnt so much just by being on the sets as there were so many amazing actors around. I just feel that not just Salman Khan, but every actor in the film played a big part in my growth as an actor. Acting opposite Randeep Hooda, under the guidance of Prabhudheva and personally seeing Salman bhai with the same incredible and unbelievable charisma that we witness on screen, helped me progress as an actor. I spent a lot of time with them as we started shooting in November 2019, then every month, we shot for a few days before the pandemic hit. Then we got back in November 2020 to wrap the film, so I got to spend a lot of time with them and learn a lot.
The biggest thing I learnt from Salman bhai is how to manage people’s expectations as people expect a lot from him, and he always delivers. He does it so flawlessly. He matches the script with his acting and at the same time, he is always ‘the Salman Khan’, with his own unique style and brand that he has created. That is what I am trying to learn as an actor, as there are many actors in our industry but very few who are a brand of their own.
You are a singer first, so will we get to listen to you sing in Radhe too?
No, I am not singing in the film. This is my acting debut so I didn’t want to do anything else. I came on board just as an actor.
You were directed by the dancing God himself, Prabhudheva. Did you learn any dancing from him?
No, I didn’t but I wish I did. I really need to improve on my dancing so some time I will call him and ask him for his help. He is a really cool guy that way.
You had a tiny glimpse in Radhe’s trailer and that became a subject of a Mumbai police meme. Did you get any funny reactions to that?
It was a funny meme. In the trailer, I wasn’t there much because my character is supposed to be a secret. But I was glad that even in the few frames I was visible in, Mumbai police took it to make a meme.
You are a musician and in these tough times when people are struggling with so much, what role do you think the music plays in helping them?
When people have nowhere else to go, they come to social media. They are looking to talk to people and be entertained and as an artist, it’s our job to fulfil that. We are also at home but it’s our way of contributing to their mental health. Apart from that, it’s our responsibility to spread awareness about whatever we can. I did a fundraiser on May 6 and all the proceeds from it went to Covid relief.
You have gone through Covid yourself last year, do you feel it has made you more empathetic towards the situation?
I was lucky I didn’t have a serious reaction. My fiancé had a stronger reaction than me but she also recovered very quickly. We were lucky that we were sick when we had hospital beds and medical infrastructure at our disposal easily. People are not so lucky now; you can see that and that is the most tragic part that people are not dying from Covid but they are dying because of not getting medical help for it. It is a bad situation and all we can do is amplify the help that is already available outside and make people aware about the resources out there.
You made your name as an Indie artist in India at a time when the independent music industry was almost non-existent here. How challenging has that been for you?
It was challenging in the beginning but time has changed now and people have started consuming non-film music in a mainstream way. The world now is completely different, it’s social media defined now. There are so many artists out there doing their own things and that is the biggest perk to have come out of it. I feel proud to be a part of that generation that started this trend. When I wanted to be a pop star, there were no pop stars in India. It still makes me happy to see the music industry grow this way.
Even though most indie songs get temporary success, they don’t last that long. But people still hear your songs like Baaki Baatein peene Baad at the clubs, even after six years. Why do you think your songs have this longevity and people connect to them?
Honestly, I don’t know what people see in me. I find my music great but there are so many great artists out there. No one knows what makes a song work, but my best guess for my songs working would be that I care a lot about them. I feel if I care about them while making it, someone else can care about it too while listening to it.
You have released a lot of singles, any plans of coming up with an album?
We are working on an album this year. It should be ready by around September. The original plan was to release it in May-June, but I wanted to tour with my album and it isn’t possible right now. I am just waiting for this pandemic to subside so that I can go out and perform. That’s the fun of it.
Is there any musical collaboration on the cards for you or any collaboration that you want to happen?
There are so many that I want to have but I don’t want to announce them before they happen. I want to collaborate with some international acts and in India, I want to work with AR Rahman sir as he has always been my idol.
There are many Indian artists going international, do you plan to do the same too?
I don’t know because the way things are right now, planning something international seems so far-fetched. Things are uncertain right now, but let’s see what happens.
Radhe hasn’t release yet but have there been any more acting offers made to you?
There have been many offers but I am waiting for Radhe to release and see what people think of me as an actor. My game plan is to find a niche for myself in acting, like I did in music. My goal is to do some short films, see what I can do as an actor and take it from there.
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