Interview | Bhuvan Arora on how Farzi changed his career; teases bigger Season 2, reveals dream role

Actor Bhuvan Arora has carved a space for himself on OTT platforms with his versatile performances. From the street-smart Firoz in Farzi to the lover-boy Amavas in Dupahiya, Arora has moved across genres. He has also appeared in major theatrical releases such as Amaran and Chandu Champion.

Arora has now returned with Dupahiya 2, which reunites him with Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Yashpal Sharma, with Dinesh Lal Yadav, also joining the cast. Directed by Sonam Nair, the series premiered on Prime Video on October 1. In an exclusive conversation with WION, Arora spoke about working in Dupahiya 2, Waiting Hai, and how Farzi changed his career. He also shared updates on Farzi 2, starring Shahid Kapoor.

WION: How was it returning to Dhadakpur for Dupahiya 2?

Bhuvan Arora: Very good. It’s always a good feeling to come to a crime-free village. But unfortunately, this time around, the village isn’t crime-free anymore.

WION: Amavas is deeply in love with Roshni. How much can Bhuvan Arora relate to Amavas?

Bhuvan Arora: 100% related. I will genuinely do everything I can in my capacity. I will turn the world upside down if I genuinely love somebody. And my friends would be a testimony to that. I’ve done that for them.

Also Read: Dupahiya 2 series review: Dhadakpur is back, but the sequel takes time to find its rhythm

WION: The series has such an ensemble cast. What is the atmosphere like when all of you are together on set?

Bhuvan Arora: I feel that they’re all younger than us and more passionate than us still. They are so much at ease with what they do. And I don’t think so they take themselves too seriously.

So, they never really made us feel like they’ve been here for a very long time and we are relatively newer in front of them. It was immense joy. And I feel that Dupahiya particularly is one show where we genuinely, over the course of a period of time, have become like a family only.

So, it’s like, it’s a crazy dynamic. Me and Gajraj sir go along really well. We speak very often, even when we’re not shooting. And a lot of things that we jam on. And I feel he’s the one who’s actually holding the whole group together. So, yeah, lots to learn from him professionally and personally.

WION: You also worked in Waiting Hai, where you played Afroz Hamza. What attracted you to the character?

Bhuvan Arora: It’s basically hardware versus software. Afroz Hamza is a software guy and Firoz is a hardware guy. So, I think that in itself is very different.

I think they both come from very different regions. One is a Bombay boy and the other is a Bihari boy. One is from a very different background, you know, and the other is from a very different background.

I mean, I don’t know if they both even qualify for a scam. I think they do, in a very broad perspective. But, yeah, I don’t think so anybody would look at these two characters and find any sort of similarity between them.

Also Read: Dupahiya Season 2 trailer out: Gajraj Rao, Sparsh Shrivastava, Renuka Shahane face new problem in Dhadakpur | Watch

And I think if they do, then I failed miserably because I’ve given my best shot to make them as diverse as I could.

WION: How was it working with Divyendu?

Bhuvan Arora: Good only. She’s my senior from FTII. We are both Delhi boys. We did not have a lot of scenes together in the show. But, yeah, off-screen we bonded a lot. And we’re pretty similar in terms of our sense of humour, taste in food and everything. I mean, like, he’s a friend now. He’s like an elder brother figure to me. So, yeah, immense joy meeting him on-screen, off-screen.

WION: You have played scammers in both Farzi and Waiting Hai. Have you ever been scammed in real life?

Bhuvan Arora: Oh, many times. I’m a very gullible guy. It’s very easy to scam me. Yeah, many times I’ve placed an order on online sites, looking at Instagram and all of that. They turned out to be shady websites, which really basically have no genuine warehouses. And my order has never reached when I paid for it. Many times I’ve been scammed.

I get scammed very easily. Somebody will make a poor face and tell me that they’re in need of money. I’m a very, what do I say, soft target for people like that. I’m the first one to help. But now I’ve made a ground rule not to give in to it. But earlier, it was very easy to fool me.

WION: Farzi made you a household name. What changes came after the series?

Bhuvan Arora: Yeah, people started to trust me more. I mean, thankfully, a lot of the bank was a little bit happier now. And people started to trust me more with bigger parts.

So, people started to sort of, you know, acknowledge the craft and sort of trust me with bigger, important and lead parts. That was something that has changed. I feel the whole shift has become in the choice.

Before Farzi, I would probably, you know, not get so many offers. I did not have that much choice in that. But now, thankfully, I do.

So, I think the only liberty that Farzi gave me is the liberty to choose between things.

WION: Everyone is waiting for Farzi 2. Can you tell us something about the new season?

Bhuvan Arora: Now what I can tell you is that it’s going to be bigger. It’s going to be grander. Because obviously people have showered so much love on the show. It became like the most seen show of all time and especially Firoz.

I really did not anticipate so much love would be personally given to Firoz, my character in the show. So, all I can tell you at this point of time is that the season 2 is obviously bigger, grander and more massive.

WION: At this point in your career, what do you look for when choosing a character?

Bhuvan Arora: I think I look at the story of the script first, I mean like the project first. I mean the script in totality first and second thing is my character in it.

I feel if the story is good and the character is okay, it will still become a successful project. Or maybe a creatively satisfying project. Versus when the story is bad and the character is good.

So, whatever experience that I’ve had, I’ve realized that when the script is good and the character is okay, it’s fun to shoot. But when the script is bad, I mean the story is not really engaging, but your character individually is very good, I’ve often felt that it doesn’t work.

Also Read: Farzi 2: Who is Yukti Thareja, the actress set to star opposite Shahid Kapoor in the sequel?

It’s not really something that satisfies you creatively. Because I feel we are just like, it’s a teamwork. It’s a collaborative medium. So, not a single character can make or ruin a film. So, I feel my criteria to choose a script is story first, character second.

WION: What is the best and worst piece of advice you’ve received from the industry?

Bhuvan Arora: Worst piece of advice is a lot, actually. That you have to go to networking parties and you have to be in good books of people to get work here. Which is absolutely crap, to be honest.

Never has any good outcome come out of me networking with people. So, for me, I think it’s a disastrous advice.

A good advice that I have taken is that never take rejection personally. Because it’s not really dependent on your individual work. It’s dependent on multiple factors.

WION: Is there a kind of role you haven’t got the opportunity to play yet but really want to?

Bhuvan Arora: I want to do a superhero film. I feel India has not brought only a decent superhero film till date. And I feel we have immense scope here.

We are a country which has great comics. We are the country which contributes to all the Hollywood superhero movies in maximum numbers.

Also Read: It’s official! Shahid Kapoor is set to return as Sunny in Raj & DK's Farzi Season 2

So, I feel it’s high time we as a country bring a great superhero film. I mean, we have them in India but they are not many. You can probably count them on your fingertips.

So, I feel that we are culturally very rich. We can actually imbibe mythology and we can genuinely come up with a great superhero film because our culture is very rich. I think we have immense potential there.

So, I’m really, really looking forward to superhero, larger-than-life sort of film which I would be really, really happy to be a part of.

WION: What is Bhuvan Arora like when he is away from the camera? What do you do in your free time?

Bhuvan Arora: I sleep. I like training. I like working out. I like travelling. I’ve just become a father. So, I love spending time with my baby.

I have a pet. I love playing with her. I like observing animals. I like talking to people. I used to like talking to people a lot because I used to get introduced to many new different characters which I can later use on screen.

I like swimming. I mean, I like chilling with friends. Basic things only which everybody likes. I think these are the things you would also like probably.

Nothing different as such. No rock climbing. Nothing like that. Nothing fancy about my life. Very basic and happy with whatever little is there.

I like staring at the tube light a lot. But now my house does not have a tube light because everything is about false ceilings and hidden lights and all of that. So, I’m deprived of that joy now.

But earlier and back in the day, I used to stare into tube lights a lot in my free time and think about life. I don’t get to do it anymore because my wife has removed all the tube lights from the house.

WION: Apart from Dupahiya 2 and Farzi 2, is there anything else we can see you in?

Bhuvan Arora: A lot of things. I think there is a show called Janaawar which is coming up in the season 2. There is a film that I have done in which Manisha Koirala and I are heading the parts. So, that is there.

And then there is a lot of other interesting stuff which I am not at liberty to speak about at this moment. But yeah, it’s a pretty interesting lineup.