SPRING IN THE STEP

HIS SURNAME MAY NOT BE KAPOOR, BUT IT'S HARD TO MISS THE 'KAPOORIYAT' IN AADAR JAIN. HE SEEMS TO HAVE A BIT OF EVERYONE — LIKE MOST OF THEM IN INDIAN CINEMA'S FIRST FAMILY — IN HIS EXPRESSIVE FACE, HIS LOVE FOR MOVIES, HIS SMILE... MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, HE'S FINDING HIS OWN FOOTING IN THE INDUSTRY WITH HIS UNCONVENTIONAL PICKS. AMAZON PRIME VIDEO'S HELLO CHARLIE IS A CASE IN POINT

- Radhika Bhirani

IN SCHOOL, I WAS the class' prankster... the joker, Aadar Jain reminisces, unwittingly invoking memories of his iconic maternal grandfather, Indian cinema's 'greatest showman', Raj Kapoor.

Today, all grown up, charming and courteous in his demeanour, and confident and clear about his craft, the 27-year-old actor is out to be a joker once again... only this time, to elicit his audience's laughter with his new film Hello Charlie.

Look at me, I'm smiling, says Aadar, pointing at his flushed face, lit up by a glimmer in the eyes, and a curve that stretches from ear-to-ear, as he begins to share his outstanding experience of working in the madcap comedy entertainer with, well, a gorilla for a co-star!

I love Dunston Checks In... There also used to be a Hindi version, Ek Bandar Hotel Ke Andar, laughs the actor, recounting the 1996 film around a young boy befriending an orangutan, as the conversation steers to endearing human-animal films. While growing up, I have also seen films like Babe, King Kong. There's also Haathi Mere Saathi of course. I think you're going to see a human-animal film in Hindi cinema after a very long time, the actor says on a sincere note.

His surname may not be Kapoor, but it's hard to miss the 'Kapooriyat' in Aadar. The younger of two sons of the late Raj Kapoor's daughter Rima Jain and investment banker Manoj Jain, Aadar seems to have a little bit of everyone — like most of them in Indian cinema's first family — in his style of talking, his expressive face, his love for movies and food, his smile, his dance and his gestures.