Arjun Kapoor had worked as an assistant director to Nikkhil Advani on Kal Ho Naa Ho, before he made his film debut with the 2012 film Ishaqzaade. He also worked with Advani on Salaam-e-Ishq. During a Clubhouse session with Janice Sequeira and Aniruddha Guha, Arjun revealed that he was a 'terrible assistant' at first.
Arjun added that he had a 'sheltered' upbringing and his privilege led him to believe that being as assistant director would be an easy job.
"I was a terrible assistant when I started out. I was horrible. I thought it would be a piece of cake and I hate saying this, much like somebody who has grown up in an environment that is sheltered, I was sheltered, I was protected and I was privileged," he said.
"Privileged does not only mean the financial aspect of it. It's about the security that you have from knowing you can make mistakes and stumble and learn along the way even without getting a qualification in place. I was allowed to do those things and I was allowed to make mistakes without consequences that have bigger ramifications."Arjun Kapoor, Actor
"I became an assistant on Kal Ho Naa Ho and I was a terrible one. Terrible in the sense, I used to sleep off on set, I used to walk in after Nikkhil sir, I used to do things that could be done in 15 minutes over four hours," Arjun further said.
He admitted that he wasn't very good on set but he fell in love with the filmmaking process. When he started working on Salaam-e-Ishq, he got better at the job. He soon realised that he wanted to make films in 'some capacity or the other'.
He also experimented with editing. His first shot at editing was when he cut trailer for father Boney Kapoor's film Shakti: The Power.
Kal Ho Naa Ho released in 2003 and featured Saif Ali Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Preity Zinta in the lead. In an earlier interview, Arjun had revealed that he was a huge fan of Saif and 'kept watching him' when the film was being shot.
He told SpotboyE, "I have loved Saif since forever...when I assisted Nikkhil Advani during Kal Ho Naa Ho, I would just keep watching him. I am a huge fan of Saif Ali Khan so I am really excited that I got a chance to work with him."
Arjun Kapoor will next appear in Bhoot Police, directed by Pavan Kirpalani. The film also stars Saif Ali Khan, Yami Gautam, and Jacqueline Fernandez, and is scheduled for release on 17 September on Disney+ Hotstar.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)