It has been almost a month since actor Arjun Mathur was nominated for the International Emmy for his role as a gay wedding planner in the Amazon Prime show, Made in Heaven. Interestingly, his first project a decade ago, was Luck by Chance which was directed by Zoya Akhtar, and a decade later, Made in Heaven too has been directed by her. After a decade in the industry and an International Emmy nomination later, the actor says life continues to remain just the same and that he is focusing more than ever on his work now, especially after taking a break in the past few months after being tested positive for COVID-19.
Were you expecting the International Emmy nomination for your role in 'Made in Heaven'?
I was not expecting this at all. Six to eight months before the announcement, I had been informed that my performance was being submitted for consideration, but that was all. And then I forgot about it. I didn't take it seriously and definitely did not think that I would actually get it.
Do you think your nomination impact the homosexual community in India?
It actually highlights the need of the hour to create more and more content which would be much more inclusive and involve the sections of the society that have so far been marginalised and have not found representation in cinema yet.
Were you reluctant at first when you were offered the role?
Not at all. I have acted in similar roles twice previously as well in other films. This was the third time. The only reluctance was why did I have to do the same thing three times. But then this was different from the other roles I had done in the past.
The plot of Gone Game is close to the reality of a pandemic. And you play the role of a COVID-19 patient in that...
Gone Game started as a real experiment; it was conceived and written only because there was a lockdown as it was inspired by reality. A few jobless, bored, talented people came together to make something as fascinating as this film and it was really hard getting the actors to shoot themselves inside their own homes with very limited resources. As a COVID-19 infected person there were times I wondered why I was doing what I was doing but soon the director's viewpoint would help get everything into perspective. It was really put together out of nothing in the months of the lockdown when everyone had to be cooped up inside.
Of all the roles you've essayed so far, which one has been the closest to your heart?
I did a film called Brij Mohan Amar Rahe and I loved the character in that and also the role in the film Fireflies which is a take on fractured relationships too is very close to me. Yes, Karan Mehra in Made in Heaven is right up there, but my role as Kabir Dalal in a show called Bring on the Night has its own fan following which is enormous and I loved playing my character in that. But of course it was not embraced with as much warmth as say a Made in Heaven did. So it is all subjective.
