Raring to go

For an avid short film follower, Arjun Kalyan is a familiar name. His short film Upma Tinesindi co-starring Poojitha Ponnada has over 1.6 million views! Even the video song Chandamama is being received well. But that’s not all; Arjun has been keen to make a full-fledged foray into feature films and even managed to do so with Chinna Cinema, but it failed at the boxoffice.

The 27-year-old had left his job in the US and decided to pursue his dream here. And so far, it hasn’t been a rosy journey for him, but at least he is going somewhere and he’s happy about it. Last seen in Premam as Anupama’s boyfriend, he is quite excited about a key role he has bagged in Sekhar Kammula’s next, Fida.

“Long ago I had auditioned for a role in Happy Days. Despite being shortlisted, things didn’t work out. And now, I am working with him again. The experience has been phenomenal,” he shares, telling us that this could be the one big break he’s been waiting for.

Arjun missed out on quite a few roles and shares that it did hurt when the films did well. “I did feel bad for a few days but then I took things in my stride. Now, I work in a software firm and simultaneously work on demos and short films. In fact, it was one of my demos that helped me bag Premam.

Everyone, even aspiring directors, want to work with established actors. They work on demos with me but don’t consider for the film. It’s only if we get opportunities that we’d be able to prove something, right?” he says.