Aditya Roy Kapur - Banking On A Second Innings

After a two-year, self-induced sabbatical, one of Bollywood’s favourite boys, Aditya Roy Kapur, is back. While 2019 has given him a rocky start with Kalank, the future looks bright, promising and very exciting.

- Arnesh Ghose

Everybody seems to love Aditya Roy Kapur. I haven’t come across anyone who has any complaints about the man. He is classically handsome, and when the shirt comes off, all manner of unChristian thoughts go through people’s minds. He’s polite, charming, well-spoken; this is my third cover shoot with Kapur, and he has never been anything but an absolute delight to work with. His smile is large, totally honest and reaches all the way to his eyes.

I have watched all his films, and while I haven’t enjoyed them that much – or at all, sometimes – I don’t remember complaining about him. I revisited reviews of his films by almost all the country’s critics, and nobody really had anything bad to say of him. He is described variously as “charming”, “a robust performer”, “infused life into the film”, “lovable and attractive” and so on. Unfortunately, Kapur’s charm and performances have not been able to deliver hits. While Aashiqui 2 catapulted him to stardom and fame, it has been the only solo hit he has had. After a cracking supporting performance in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, all three of his films - Daawat-e-ishq, Fitoor and OK Jaanu - failed at the box office.

Why? For most people, Daawat-e-Ishq was insipid, and didn’t pack enough meat for a rom-com. Fitoor was ambitious – like all Abhishek Kapoor films – and while everybody gushed about how good the film and Kapur looked, the script and direction were major disappointments. OK Jaanu was just a pointless exercise in trying to make money by remaking a Tamil film, frame by frame. Then, Kapur disappeared.