Exclusive! Bhuvan Arora on the success of Farzi, new beginnings and more
Publish date: 2024-07-13
Bhuvan Arora made his debut with Shuddh Desi Romance (2013). The aspiring actor has since then appeared in films like Tevar (2015), Naam Shabana (2017) and OTT Series like The Test Case (2018), and recently Farzi (2023) alongside Shahid Kapoor. His performance in the thriller revolving around counterfeit currency is being touted as his breakout performance. Like every actor who dreams of making it big in showbiz, Bhuvan too confesses that he’s the biggest Shah Rukh Khan fan ever. Recalling his growing up days, he says he used to mimic every SRK dialogue in front of his parents,”I still remember I saw Pardes and Shah Rukh Khan used to be called little master by Mr Amrish Puri in that film, and I forced my family to call me little master.” He briefly met his idol a couple of times and it’s his ardent wish to work with SRK. Bhuvan says he’s manifesting it to happen soon.
Bhuvan is a trained actor from FTII and did his first advertisement while still at the institute. It was an ad for a medical product. He was asked to come in formals and given an audition. To his delight, he got selected. Ask him about his first film, Shuddh Desi Romance, and he takes time to piece together his memories. He had actually gone for another audition, he met Bhumi Pednekar, who was a casting assistant back then. That role didn’t transpire but he was offered a small part in the Sushant Singh Rajput starrer. “They didn’t lie to me. They clearly told me it was a small role, that of the hero’s friend but people were going to remember me for sure. I liked the honesty and took a chance.”
He recalls how he was offered his role in Farzi and initially, had his inhibitions about it. Having played the role of a loyal friend for years now, he did not want to get absorbed in yet another cliched portrayal. But directors Raj and DK convinced him about the potential of his character in the series and conveyed to him that it’s more of a parallel lead. Bhuvan recalls, “I went and I spoke to Raj sir and DK sir. They said, well, you’ll have to trust us on this. One will ask you what you’ve done in life after Farzi’s release. Shahid Kapoor is a much bigger star and the story is told from the perspective of his character, Sunny. So the general audience might think of it as a character, as a friend. Yeah, but we, as the makers, think of you as a parallel lead on the show,” he reveals.
His onscreen camaraderie with Shahid Kapoor, the lead in the series, has been hailed as one of the best aspects of the show. Speaking of his bond with Shahid, he fondly says, “We had this equation going on between us and he’s chilled out. He’s like an elder brother to me. We had a great rapport. I used to look up to him for everything. He has way more experience than me. He gave me ample room to perform. He made sure that as a team we gave our best to the project.”
Raj and DK have been praised for their brilliant portrayal of bromance on screen. Be it Srikant or JK’s blossoming friendship in The Family Man or Sunny and Firoz’s bonding in Frazi, they have always cracked the code when it comes to creating memorable characters and getting the audience rooting for them. Bhuvan agrees as he comments, “I think Raj and DK are experts in bromance. They also have a bromance going on between them in real life.
So for every new thing that they do, they take a piece of their own friendship and transplant it into their project.” While he’s been flooded with compliments and has gained street cred after Farzi, we wonder whether it has resulted in more doors being opened for him. He laughs and says everyone calls him Feroz after Farzi and all this adulation feels great. “Professionally, a lot of things have changed. People have reached out with a lot more work. I am choosing my scripts. I’m reading a lot of stuff. I’m meeting a lot of respected filmmakers. That’s about it.”
He’s aware of how long he’s had to hustle to bag a role like Firoz and isn’t in a hurry to sign things. “It won’t be a wise decision for me to sign things in a hurry. Hence, I’m taking my time before signing something new,” he reveals. He says OTT has opened up more venues for everyone and therefore he wants to explore different genres as there is more opportunity for that now.
Says he, “An actor is always on the lookout for variety, as it helps him hone his craft. I’m open to all kinds of roles as I want to showcase my versatility.” More on: Bhuvan Arora
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