Lucked Out

You might have seen Arjun Mathur’s name in the credits of films like Rang De Basanti and Bunty Aur Babli as an assistant director. Luck By Chance and his impactful supporting role as Abhimanyu, the complex and principled theatre actor, have put a face to the name for moviegoers. “It was my intention to be an actor since I was eight. Watching Ram Lakhan and Tezaab, I thought Anil Kapoor was the coolest person ever. I wanted to be him,” he laughs. Supplementing his forays behind the scene with an acting education in Mumbai, Delhi and New York, Arjun’s first break was in Migration, a Mira Nair short film, followed by stirring performances in Luck By Chance and Barah Aana. Next up? A role as a student journalist in Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. But for all that, it appears the switch from director to performer isn’t irreversible. “I have too many ideas I’d like to direct,” he says.