Actor Arslan Goni, who made his Bollywood debut with Jia Aur Jia in 2017, enjoys writing as well

 Q: You debuted in Bollywood with Jia Aur Jia with Kalki Koechlin and Richa Chadha. Share the experience.

Ans: I always wanted to be an actor. I hail from Jammu and I went through lots of auditions, but things were not working out the way I wanted so I shifted to the corporate sector and started doing a job. One fine day I got a call from writer Mudassar Aziz for Jia Aur Jia. Kalki and Richa were very professional and didn’t make me feel like a newcomer. The film was good, but it took more than two years to complete and the film couldn’t do well but it was noticed.

Q: After that, why was there a long break in your professional life?

Ans: After that, the kind of offers which were coming, I didn’t take them up. I realised I had a flair for writing and developed scripts. One was romantic comedy and another was thriller. I haven’t taken any formal training in writing per se, but have learnt to tell a story my way. Both the stories are sold and I’m writing more scripts. Pandemic happened and the entertainment industry was at a standstill for a while, so even that caused delays. Now I’m working on a project which I can’t talk about, things are falling into place.

Q- Why have you been low profile?

Ans- I’m a very private person. I mind my own business. I’m focused on my work. I’m a social person and as normal as anyone else, but I’m not a social media bug. Maybe that makes people think I’m low profile. I’m very much open for relevant interactions even with the media and I do open up with people I hang out with.

Q- What kind of film roles do you want to do?

Ans- I want to do any role which adds value to the script. I have no hang ups about doing only certain kinds of roles. As an actor, the role has to satisfy me as an actor.

Q- OTT is a big platform now. Comment.

Ans - OTT existence cannot be denied and ignored. OTT boon is here. Post-pandemic it is more in the limelight, one can watch stuff on OTT anytime as per one’s convenience. The content quality is good and variety is also there.

Q- How was your experience in working in Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu?

Ans- The experience was fantastic, Ekta had full faith in me and the character, and it really worked for me. I still get lots of compliments for the role of Lala.

Q- What is your idea of happiness?

Ans- Live and let live, it is nice to be important but more important to be nice. Life is in the present neither in the past nor in the future. I need my space and I take it when I need it. Good food, good intelligent company, quality time with myself and acting are what make me happy.