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'I've got great feedback for my acting in Fugly'

Fugly actors Mohit Marwah and Arfi Lamba talk about their acting journey and how it culminated in the Kabir Sadanand-helmed film.

While Armaan Jain waits in the wings with Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, another Kapoor cousin made his acting debut last week.

Delhi boy Mohit Marwah, Sonam and Arjun Kapoor's first cousin -- his mother Reena Marwah is Boney, Anil and Sanjay Kapoor's sister -- stars as a protagonist in last week's release Fugly, produced by Akshay Kumar and Ashvini Yardi and directed by Kabir Sadanand.

Although the film opened to mixed reviews from critics as well as the audience, Marwah, and his costar Arfi Lamba say the response to their respective performances in the film has been great.

In this interview, the duo talk to Nishi Tiwari about how their acting journey culminated in Fugly, among other things.

Mohit Marwah, in his words:

They say it's the toughest to find your first film because that kind of sets a benchmark for your future work.

I was looking for a decent project when Fugly came along.

I took it up because it was a great combination of several things for me -- the character I play in the film was really interesting because I'm a different person in real life.

The script, director Kabir Sadanand, and the production house were all crucial factors that helped me decide.

I was reading the early reviews on Friday and most of it has been positive so far. Still, I have my fingers crossed.

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'I have had a longtime dream of starring in a period film'

I may have been born and brought up in Delhi but I'd always been surrounded by showbiz people since childhood since my father had founded Film City in Noida, the hub of all the on-camera action in North India.

I was also involved in theatre back in school.

I had a bit of a crisis back in school in the sense that I realised I wasn't interested in studying. So I didn’t pursue it any further.

I worked as an assistant director on Vikram Bhatt's Deewane Hue Pagal (in which Akshay Kumar was one of the protagonists) before leaving for New York for a course in acting.

That course really changed my thought process and perspective on things. I can say it pretty much defined who I am today.

As of now, I am fully concentrating on Fugly and how it does commercially.

I want to work with every good director out there in Bollywood. I'm greedy like that.

I have been appreciated for my character's intensity in Fugly so I guess I'd prefer to go for a breezier story for my next film.

I want to do all kinds of parts but at the end of the day, it's for the director to determine what I can do and get it out of me.

I have had a longtime dream of starring in a period film too.

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'Regret not getting a chance to work with Yash Chopra'

Arfi Lamba, in his words:

I am super excited; I have been getting rave reviews for my performance in Fugly.

I knew Kabir from his Tum Milo Toh Sahi post-production days and was called over for auditions.

Kabir was a little skeptical but Ashvini Yardi insisted that I be cast because he believed I was good for the part.

I'd previously done Prague that released last year. But I was being offered similar roles until Fugly came along.

I left my cushy job as an engineer in New Delhi in 2008 to pursue acting in Mumbai. I figured roles will start pouring in as soon as I landed in the city but my bubble burst quickly.

So I co-founded a production company called Bombay Berlin Film Production and did other things to stay afloat.

One of the biggest regrets I have in life is not getting an opportunity to work with Yash Chopra. 

Before acting offers came by, I dabbled in theatre under the aegis of the late thespian Dinesh Thakur. He was instrumental in honing my acting skills.

I also did a workshop with renowned Hollywood casting agent Nancy Bishop, who I met at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

She had worked on the first Mission Impossible movie as the casting director.

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'I think every North Indian kid wants to grow up to become an actor'

Besides acting, I am a voracious reader -- Eric Seagal, Khalil Gibran, Dilbert comics are some of my favourites.

I was very shy as a kid but films fascinated me a lot. I think every North Indian kid wants to grow up to become an actor at some point. I hail from a small village in Punjab.

Both my parents are well educated but they live in the village and are farmers.

They wanted us kids to get a good education. I did my engineering from Thapar University and Punjab and started working with Engineers India Limited.

I had also appeared for CAT in 2008 and got through MDI in Gurgaon. But I didn't go for the final interview and decided to leave for Mumbai instead.

I arrived in this city with six-seven bags of books and music. I want to do entertaining films with good content.

I am doing a Hollywood project with Akon but I can't discuss it in detail right now.

I am such a bundle of nerves right now. I am already getting messages with new scripts but I don’t want to get into all that right now.

I just want to concentrate on what kind of feedback Fugly gets.