He has been in the business for almost a decade, but Bhuvan Arora says he is on "cloud nine" to be called the Prime Video series Farzi breakout star.
The actor, who has featured in supporting characters in films such as Tevar, Shuddh Desi Romance and Naam Shabana in the past. Plays the slightly gullible but loyal friend to Shahid Kapoor's Sunny in the Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's crime-thriller on the fake currency.
"A lot of people have said it is my debut... As long as I am getting love, it is fine. I'm on cloud nine. It's overwhelming. I am full of love. I am thankful to all the people, who are taking time out and probably messaging and calling me on any platform," the actor told PTI in an interview. Delhi-born Arora said he always believed in hard work and being honest in his job, which is finally paying off.
"I feel every creative person seeks validation. It is a beautiful thing when it happens, it is disheartening at the same time when you don't get it. But I have realized that if you do something with the intention of it being validated, then I don't think you will be honest about your job. And it is our foremost responsibility, to be honest to our job," he said.
A Film and Television Institute of India FTII graduate, the actor said his phone won't stop ringing after the series debuted on February 10.
"My family has got annoyed by this, and they are like, 'I am constantly on the phone; it is constantly buzzing'. So, I keep the phone aside for an hour and give time to my family because they have been supportive throughout. I thought I would get tired, but I am not. I am equally happy when I get a message. Farzi revolves around a con artist Sunny (Shahid), who finds himself drawn into the dark while he plots a perfect con. A task force officer (Vijay Sethupathi) has made it his goal to eliminate the threat he represents to the country.
Arora said initially, when the offer came to him, he felt reluctant to play the friend's role, but when he read the script, he saw the potential in Firoz's character.
"When Farzi came, my initial apprehension was again the same thing that I have played the friend's part for the long part, but when I read the script and was explained the part, I knew there was immense potential in the scripted role. I felt I would be a fool to miss out on this opportunity." So, what exactly has changed for Arora as an actor post the release of Farzi?
"I have been taken seriously as a performer... Also, people who sought an audition from m before are saying they don't need it anymore and that the show Farzi in itself says a lot about your caliber as an actor'', but that has changed. People have started to trust me as a performer, that has been a small achievement." Arora feels grateful to receive messages stating, 'they want a friend like Firoz'. He added that the audience has loved his camaraderie with Kapoor's Sunny and believes both the characters are incomplete without each other.
The actor, who bagged the role of Firoz based on an audition, said he had put all the training that he received at FTII - which he joined in 2008 - to use to play the part. "The training came in handy in all the projects I have done," he said.
It has taken ten years for Bhuvan to reach this far. Still, he never felt like "giving up", even when he lost out on big projects such as Excel Entertainment's buddy comedy Fukrey and Yash Chopra directed Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
He said he realised early in his career that his talent alone would not translate to work.
"I never felt like giving up for sure because I don't know what else to do in life; this is probably what I am good at. It's been ten years, and I feel the happiest when I am on set," he said.
"I had accepted that rejections are part of life. Not because you are a good performer that you will always get a role, you will have to look physically apt for the role," he said, adding he lost out on playing the role of gullible Choocha to Varun Sharma because he was not physically apt for the part.
He further shared that his role in Jab Tak Hai Jaan went to Sharib Hashmi, but the production company, YRF, loved his audition so much that they offered him their other movie Shuddh Desi Romance.
Bhuvan Arora already has a few projects in the future, including a movie with Vicky Kaushal, another film with Taj Mahal 1989 fame director Pushpendra Nath Misra, and a web series for ZEE5.
He said he had been advised by many to be careful about his future choices, and he is not in a rush to go on a signing spree.
"If I don't sign a film in the next ten days or a month, I am okay. I have sat idle for five-six months at a stretch. I have never stressed about it. Thankfully, I am fortunate to have good financial backing and my share of savings.
"I am not desperate to sign something because I am right in this wave. I need to be careful. Whatever I choose next is going to be with a lot of caution," he said. Farzi also features Raashii Khanna, Kay Kay Menon, and Amol Palekar in pivotal roles.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)