New Delhi: A decade after Rustom hit the big screen, actor Arjan Bajwa has revisited some of his most memorable experiences from the film. From researching
the real-life KM Nanavati case and working with Akshay Kumar to an unexpected smoking incident on set, Bajwa opened up about his character Vikram Makhija and his journey since the 2016 hit in an exclusive conversation with News9 Digital. The film was inspired by the KM Nanavati case. He also revealed that Aamir Khan was planning a film on Navati case, but didn’t make it.
Q. Were you familiar with it before the film was offered to you?
“Yes, I had heard about the Nanavati case. Being a student of cinema, everybody knows about the films which have been made on this incident. I remember that during that shoot, one day I was talking to Sanjay Dutt sir, and I told him about this film that I was doing. He also narrated how Sunil Dutt sir, his father, had done a film on a similar subject. And recently, I met Aamir Khan sir on a flight, and again the topic of Rustom came up. Aamir sir was also planning something on this subject, which he ultimately didn’t do. So, this has been quite a landmark incident and a case.
I did have to look into this case it, dug deep into who those people were, what they were like in real life, and what exactly happened. So, though I had my own perception of how i wanted to play it, the way they looked, the way they dressed, their demeanour, their lifestyle— but he main and final input and vision was by our director, Tinu Desai, and we went according to how he was convinced that I should play it. I’m really glad that I lived up to his expectations and his choice of casting me in this film.”
Q. If you could look back at the Rustom shoot, what is that one piece of advice you would give yourself about building a long-lasting career in the industry?
“If I have to go back to 2016 and advise myself on going about things differently, looking at my career or building a long-lasting career, I think there are two ways to look at it. The biggest factor is your destiny. When that is favouring you, the time is right, things fall into place, all the work that you do, the films that you do, they all keep becoming hits.
In that respect, there are a couple of senior people in the industry who always call me the lucky mascot because they say, ‘Arjan, whichever film you do becomes a hit.’
For which I thank God, the Almighty, that His blessings are on me and, of course, I bring all the positive energy into the project that I’m a part of.
Another big factor if I do look at it purely from a practical point of view, is to have the right people around you to guide you and help you with your career. Because even though Rustom was a big hit, I did not have a supportive team around me to market me the way they should have. That’s very important because getting a hit film is a big factor in your career, and once you have it, you should have the right people to propel things for you in the best possible way. I never had that. And maybe that’s the reason I feel that a lot of good chances slipped out of my hands, which could have made things easier for me or probably enhanced my career more.
So, not just from 2016, but I would always look at it that way: have the right person beside you, with correct intentions and guidance, especially when you don’t come from a film background.
In my case, whatever I have done till now is from my own learning and experiences—whether good, bad, ugly, hits or misses. I’ve always been on my own.
So yes, it is very important to have a godfather in the industry for an outsider.
Whether one makes it into superstardom or not, that’s your destiny.
But at least, from what is in your hand—how to propel your career forward, do the right films, how to market yourself, make a perception of you—that’s a job that somebody experienced beside you or a team of people that you have should be doing. That’s how it works. You can’t be just a one-man army.
I wish I had that support system with me from the beginning, and from 2016 onwards, I would say even more.
While all this , some really good projects did come my way, with super hits like Kabir Singh, my Tamil debut Bigil with Thalapathy Vijay sir, two fantastic series like State of Siege: 26/11 and Bestseller, a thriller film called Second Chance (not released yet), and my international film debut with the first India-Taiwan official co-production, Demon Hunters.
And now I’m working on another big collaboration with Fashion director Madhur Bhandarkar sir again on the film called The Wives.”
Q. How was it working with Akshay Kumar?
“Working with Akshay sir, obviously, has been a fantastic experience. I’m a self-proclaimed biggest fan of his. I have always looked up to him. I remember growing up in Delhi, I used to take his pictures from Stardust and try and create his looks or copy his long hairstyle. I started training for Taekwondo after seeing him doing martial arts in films.
He has been a fitness icon, and one of the most handsome-looking men in the industry. He has always been an inspiration in every possible way. And yes, I again look forward to working with him more on many other projects.”
Some interesting memories from the shooting of the film.
“So, there are a lot of experiences on that film, a lot of memories. Every day was a different story because you were literally transported into 1950s,Mumbai.you were dressing up differently, there were different cars, there was a different setup. And it was quite memorable that way.
But one fine day, I remember very particularly, that there was a scene between me and Ileana. And I was supposed to be smoking in that scene, take a drag, blow the smoke out on her face, and then turn—and it was a scene devised like that.
So, to do the rehearsals, they made me light up a cigarette six times, take the first drag, and blow the smoke out. And considering I’m not a regular smoker—just on screen—it was so bad that I literally started palpitating and broke into a cold sweat. I had to rest for half an hour to regain myself with proper energy,and completely become normal.
I remember that day very well, and definitely it made me realise how dangerous smoking is, and how it affects you if you have to do it continuously like that. So yes… no smoking.”
Q. And working with Esha Gupta….
“Working with Esha also—Esha Gupta—was a good experience since we knew each other from before. She was a friend, and it becomes easier. In the film, we were on the same team as characters; we were the manipulative brother and sister [laughs]. So it was a good experience, and she’s a fantastic actor and very beautiful. I really hope we can collaborate again on something really soon.”
