I've always been a huge fan of Kareena: Arjun Kapoor

R. Balki’s upcoming film Ki and Ka will see Arjun Kapoor opposite Kareena Kapoor. Arjun makes no effort to hide his fan boy face at the mere mention of the actress who used to be his childhood ‘pin-up’. “I am excited to see myself on-screen with Kareena. I have always been a huge fan of her work. I have grown up admiring her. I strongly feel I can become a better actor just by working with her,” says Arjun, barely containing his excitement.

He continues, “It is a great deal to sustain sixteen years of freshness. Even today, we look forward to seeing Kareena Kapoor on screen. That defines stardom at its peak.  Even after so many years, she is still fresh and energetic — that’s exciting to watch. She has not changed in terms of creating excitement for the audience. Besides, my father has done three films with her and  it’s always good to work with friends.”

But Kareena is not the sole reason he signed the film. The director was a big pull too. “I was always excited about Ki and Ka. I signed it primarily because I was looking forward to working with Balki.”

The film challenges gender stereotypes — an issue, Arjun feels, resonates strongly with the youth. “It deals with a fantastically relevant concept today.  The gender debate has been brewing for many years in our country. In this film, Kareena is shown as a very capable, talented and ambitious girl while I am somebody who wants to be a homemaker. My desire stems from a very practical perspective. It’s a unique character. He is not the boy-next-door at all.”

Elaborating on the concept of a homemaker he adds, “House-wives are always looked at as people who sit at home. They are not looked as people who ‘make homes’. My character believes that housewives are artists. But at the same time, the film deals with this intense subject in a fun light-hearted way. It tells us about an interesting married couple that is comfortable with each other. But what happens when people around them react? It will be a nice conversation starter as a film and everyone can have an opinion about it.”