Arjun Kapoor Reveals Alia Bhatt Faced “Disdain and Hatred” After Her Casting In ‘2 States’
Arjun Kapoor opened up on the backlash his ‘2 States’ co-star Alia Bhatt faced when she was cast as a Tamilian in the film.
Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, who is winning a lot of praise for his work as the main antagonist in Rohit Shetty’s new Hindi movie ‘Singham Again’, recently opened up on the backlash his ‘2 States’ co-star Alia Bhatt faced when she was cast as a Tamilian in the film. In an interview with Mashable India, Arjun Kapoor revealed that many doubted whether Alia Bhatt will be able to pull off a South Indian character.
Arjun Kapoor also said that the release of Alia Bhatt's ‘Highway’ before ‘2 States’ helped in changing the perception of the audience.
“There was absolute disdain and hatred against Alia on social media when she signed 2 States. It was because they said she doesn’t look like a South Indian and her previous film Student Of The Year hadn’t given her that kind of recognition that was needed to play that role, which was already established at that point because many people had read the book,” Arjun Kapoor said.
He added, “There were also other big names that were considered exciting and visually relevant for the role. But Alia just kept her head down and worked. I never heard her complain about anything on the set. She did an audition, she did a photoshoot and that was the day they decided that she is the right choice for the role.”
Arjun Kapoor also revealed how Alia Bhatt was simultaneously shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Highway’ while working on ‘2 States’.
“She shot Highway and 2 States at the same time. Highway released just before 2 States and the world’s opinion of Alia Bhatt changed completely and in just one Friday,” Arjun Kapoor said.
For the unversed, ‘2 States’ marked Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor’s first collaboration. Directed by Abhishek Varman, the film released in cinemas in April 18, 2014.
The Bollywood movie, based on Chetan Bhagat's best-selling novel of the same name, still remains to be one of the best romantic comedy-drama movies to come out of India. The movie, produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala, explored the challenges and joys of intercultural relationships in modern India. With a relatable storyline, the film struck a chord with audiences by blending humour, drama, and romance seamlessly.
It followed the love story of Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor), a Punjabi boy, and Ananya Swaminathan (Alia Bhatt), a Tamil girl, as they navigated the complexities of their cultural differences and parental expectations while making their careers.
The film, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 50 crore, minted Rs 102.33 crore in India and Rs 173 crore worldwide.
Speaking of Arjun Kapoor, he was recently seen in ‘Singham Again’, alongside Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.
The film is nearing the Rs 245 crore mark in India, and worldwide, it has gone past the Rs 300 crore mark.
