Since the last few days, there has been buzz about newbie actor Arjun Kapoor, who is incidentally, being compared to actor Abhishek Bachchan for his strong resemblance. Son of producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Kapoor, Arjun reveals he is quite different from his on-screen confident persona. “Back then, I was so overweight, becoming an actor was not even a distant dream.

 I was pursuing direction seriously and was assisting a lot of directors. I met Salman Bhai (actor Salman Khan) on the sets and got acquainted with him. He instilled that sense of belief and confidence in me and pretty much took me under his wing. I was very focussed on being a director until I gained confidence and shed the extra weight. That is when a faint possibility of being an actor crossed my mind.”

A film being offered to a newcomer from the Yash Chopra camp is a dream come true for anyone and it was no different for Arjun as well. “It was the casting director who saw my pictures on Facebook and called me in for an audition. I auditioned for a month and after numerous look-tests, I was finally taken on board,” he admits. Considering his father is a producer and he comes from a film-family, didn’t he want to make a debut in one of his father’s films? “My father has always been a producer, so there has always been some amount of inclination towards cinema. I wanted to make my mark on my own merit. If I am talented, I should work with anyone, not just my father.”

Besides his filmi background, the actor says the sudden female adulation coming his way is quite surprising and embarrassing. “I thank all my female fans for their kind words but it is too embarrassing for me because all my life I have never had female friends. I get nervous while talking to any girl so it’s all very new for me.” Though the actor did manage to lose a lot of weight, Arjun confesses he still gets panic attacks if he piles on a few pounds. “It’s difficult initially, but slowly it becomes your lifestyle. I still love eating. In my head, I am a fat person and I still panic when I put on some weight.”