When Arjun Kapoor Became The Quintessential Chetan Bhagat Hero With 2 States And Half Girlfriend

arjun kapoor 2 states half girlfriend quintessential chetan bhagat hero

Arjun Kapoor was still trying to find his footing in Bollywood in 2014. He had made his acting debut with Ishaqzaade (2012) and had delivered two more projects - Aurangzeb and Gunday. Barely two years, and three films old, Arjun found a new side. 2 States came his way, along with Krish Malhotra.

2 States, based on writer Chetan Bhagat's bestselling novel by the same name, ticked all the right boxes for Arjun. It made him explore an introvert character Krish, which looked absolutely cut-out for him. Those who've read the book (including me) vouched for it. Arjun was apty cast in a role he hadn't done before. Krish was as studious, as he was a hardcore romantic. He travelled places (and states) to make his relationship work. He wooed not just his lady love, but also her family. He even proposed to all of them together. In short, he did total Locha-E-Ulfat!

Arjun has had probably the best chemistry with Alia Bhatt onscreen so far. There was innocence, honesty and deep love in their relationship. Arjun's bond with his Punjabi mother (Amrita Singh) and estranged father (Ronit Roy) were equally memorable. 2 States was a job well done by Arjun.

What followed were more films from varied genres, giving him a chance to expand his filmography. Three years down, he repeated was he seemed best at - playing the male lead in another Chetan Bhagat's book adaptation. Half Girlfriend had him play a Bihari guy whose struggle with English language to get accustomed to urban life formed the core plot.

The film had a mediocre run, but Arjun started being called the quintessential Chetan Bhagat hero. Though Arjun had in 2017 claimed, that he hadn't read any of Bhagat's books. He told IANS, "I have never read a Chetan Bhagat book in my life. But yes, I have worked on two films adapted from his novels. I think I never faced any problem on that because none of my directors suggested me to read them and those scripts were pretty substantial for me to understand the character. Since in both the films, Chetan was a part of the scripting process, I am sure he kept the essence of the character."

In the words of the 38-year-old actor, "Chetan Bhagat is my Marvel comic book and I'm his superhero." We don't deny it!