Shashank Arora has been part of a few multi-star projects — think Titli or Rock On 2 — but says he’s not intimidated by famous names.
The 27-year-old actor first appeared as a supporting character in indie film Myoho in 2012. He then went on to play the title role in 2014 film Titli, in which he worked with Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Lalit Behl and Shivani Raghuvanshi.
Rock On 2, which stars the actor, Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Shraddha Kapoor and Purab Kohli, is out in the UAE now.
“I don’t think it [a movie with many stars] can stereotype an actor. It has been happening but I don’t think that is how things are right now. It is a perspective which is unique to people.
“If you think you will be stereotyped may be because of the script or if you do supporting roles in the same area then it might be so. But I don’t think you can be pinned. Lead roles come on the basis of your talent,” he said.
His last release, Titli, was not a typical Bollywood movie and Rock On 2 is a commercial Bollywood affair.
When asked if he is trying to move towards commercial projects, Arora said, “Right now, the view of Bollywood cinema is very astute, it’s just 100 year[s] old, so we do not have clear categories. But for me, it is not a conscious decision to do commercial films or indie films. It is about stories.”
The Brahman Naman star has his hands full at the moment. Besides Rock On 2, he will be seen in Lipstick Under My Burkha and Anup Singh’s The Song of Scorpions, in which he shares screen space with veteran actress Waheeda Rehman and actor Irrfan Khan.
“I am very excited to work with Irrfan and Waheeda Rehman ji. I don’t know how I am in this film. I have a lead role in Brahman Naman and a supporting role in Lipstick Under My Burkha.”
The actor will also star in Shlok Sharma’s next movie, which has been shot completely on iPhone.
