The Charm And Challenge Of Being Aditya Roy Kapur

From his brooding onscreen intensity that sends women aflutter to the laid back vibe which appeals to men, there is something very likeable about Aditya Roy Kapur

- K. Sunil Thomas

There is something likeable about Aditya Roy Kapur. It could range right from the weak-in-the-knees kind of palpitations that seem to afflict some of the women in the production crew of this cover shoot, to the slap-his-back-and-chill-with-a-beer vibe among the guys (he prefers whisky though, as he reveals later).

Perhaps, it is his smile. It is the stuff that careers are made of. Shy, yet with enough power to launch a charm offensive, it appeals variously to different demographics. It makes teen (and post-teen) girls go weak in the knees while his lanky frame, good looks and nimble footwork (his grandparents, on his mother’s side, were dancers) makes him the ideal ‘toy boy’ material. Ironically, for a male idol who’s the heartthrob of millions of girls, ARK’s understated persona gels with the menfolk, too. Aashiqui 2, after all, was a phenomenon not just among female viewers, but for scores of young men, too, who could identify with the intense all-or-nothing anguish and emotions of its male lead. He may be dashing on screen, but off screen, at event appearances and magazine photo shoots, he is approachable, and real. And that is what appeals to men as well.

Aditya Roy Kapur is non-filmy when it comes to throwing starry airs, but one thing you can’t ignore is his physical presence. All 6.2” and 82 kilos of him, toned b y years of playing sports (his childhood dream was to be a cricketer), this is not a guy you can ignore easily, movie star or not. At the entrance to JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, when Kapur walks in, he causes a domino-effect of sibilant whispers across the spacious lobby. He is taller and bigger in a muscular kind of way than he looks on screen, just as good looking with hair less curly, but as voluminous as ever. The eyes behind the ubiquitous designer sunglasses seem to look for a way to escape the weight of multiple stares on him.