Arslan Gony talks about working with Richa Chadha and Kalki Koechlin in 'Jia Aur Jia'

Hailing from a family of lawyers and high-ranked government officials in Kashmir, Arslan Gony is all set to realise his Bollywood dreams. The young law student will be seen in a pivotal role opposite Kalki Koechlin and Richa Chadha in the film Jia Aur Jia, which will release later this year. Here, Arslan talks about his co-stars and his journey so far...

I was never offered TV

In a way, it was a conscious move. When I started out, I wanted to do films. I have never tried for TV and nobody has ever approached me for serials. Whatever has happened, has happened very organically. I wanted to be in a space that I am happy to be in and obviously, that was films. It wasn’t a by-chance thing.

The audition tale

I had actually gone to audition for another film called Akki Viki Nikki. I don’t know if it’s being made or not. They were also testing for Jia Aur Jia. The cast wasn’t locked at that time. So when I went to their office, I happened to meet Mudassar Aziz’s dad whom I knew. My audition was actually very funny. I was just made to wear a heavy jacket in summer and run across Aram Nagar, while the camera followed me. There were no lines! I didn’t get a call for around two weeks. Finally, I got a call from Mudassar who said the other film isn’t happening, but they thought I would fit into the role of Vasu in Jia aur Jia.

‘I was scared to tell my parents’

I started before Aly (his brother) in the film. He joined the industry a-year-and-a-half later. My family was very happy to know I was getting into films. I feel that I wasted a lot of time by not telling my parents about my acting aspirations earlier. As soon as I told them, they were like, ‘Okay, fine do it.’ Then, Aly obviously followed me after that. My break came on later.

It’s about friendship and relationships

Jia aur Jia is about two girls on a holiday to Sweden. They meet a local artist Vasu, which is my character, in the film. I play a half-Indian, half-Swedish artist. The film is about people who carry baggages in life and how they learn a lot from other’s perspectives. It’s a story about friendship, relationships, the truth, and how you should always do the right thing. It’s a light slice-of-life film.

Richa and Kalki

I was extremely nervous to work with Kalki and Richa. My first shot was with both of them. Kalki is very prepared as an actor and does her research really well. Richa is quite spontaneous, she does things, which you won’t expect her to do. Both are very different, but it was surprising that whenever we all had a scene together, both of them would have such great camaraderie. I learnt so much from them. They made me feel comfortable. I had met them at the airport before our flight to Copenhagen, I guess we had already become friends before we boarded. Now, I am more in touch with Richa. We meet and hangout together. I have also met Kalki a couple of times, but not as much as Richa. I’m closer to Richa.

Kissing confession

It was difficult to shoot the intimate scenes. (Smiles) Because it is very technical and it required us to do a certain action. Kalki and I actually hit each other’s tooth once while doing a scene. So, it was fun, but too technical.

What’s next?

I have just done another film, which isn’t complete yet. That again is in a totally different space. We haven’t even finalised the title yet. I was shooting for it in Rajasthan. It was 50 degrees the whole summer when we shot. It’s the story of a boy from a small town coming to a tier-two city and how life changes. I play a writer in the film. There’s another one I’m in talks with but it isn’t final yet. It should be official soon.