Apoorva Arora’s recent workfamily these days‘Season 1 is currently streaming on Sony Liv, and it is receiving an enthusiastic response from the audience.
In a candid chat with ETimes, Apoorva Arora opens up about his journey as an actor, working in films, venturing into the digital and OTT space, his recent journey. web series ‘Parivar Aaj Kal’, and many more.
Apoorva Arora started her acting career at the age of 13 with ‘Bubble Gum’. While foraying into films at a very young age certainly brought her into the public eye, Apoorva also agrees that the digital space and subsequent OTT boom has boosted her career. “I started at the age of 13. But, YouTube and the OTT space was really a milestone in my career. I stepped into YouTube when I was 8 or 9 years old in my acting career. That space became my Career took a direction where I could shape it myself, instead of waiting for opportunities to knock on my door, I was able to push myself to continue acting and getting in front of the camera. There has been a huge increase.
When asked how she felt seeing her peers, including YouTubers Ayush MehraAnd Barkha Singh Doing well, Apoorva says, “I am happy that there is work for everyone. Because before the pandemic, web shows were viewed very differently. It was seen as an experimental space, where scripts that could not be made into films or TV shows found their home in the digital space. Things changed to a great extent after the pandemic when films also started releasing directly on OTT. The audience started watching a lot of web shows from all over the world. It changed the game for us who were already a part of it. Audiences will watch web shows and movies not just because it is accessible, but also because of its content.
Ask Apoorva Arora if she feels like being a part of game changers and trailblazers in the digital space, she says, “It’s not really my place to comment on this, but I have always believed in the fact that ‘If you want to change the world, first change yourself’. But if I have managed to achieve something for the people around me, then I am happy. It’s really what the audience has to say.”
Apoorva Arora also admits that for someone who started her career in films, it was quite challenging to work for web shows and the digital space. “This new space was a lot different than before, including having fewer people on set. But honestly, I enjoyed being a part of this new wave,” adds the young actress.
One can strongly feel Apoorva’s passion for acting, no matter what medium it is featured on. So did she always want to be an actress? “I started when I was very young. At that time, I had had the opportunity to be in front of the camera for a few projects, so I knew the door was open. Therefore, I did not feel much stress and continued my studies. But, before becoming an actor, I definitely wanted to become a director. I was curious about choreography and film direction.”
So, is the direction set for the near future? “Not in the near future, because acting is my priority now. Directing requires a lot of focus and time, which is now a luxury.
Apoorva Arora’s web series ‘Family Aaj Kal’, in which she plays the lead role of Meher, is the talk of the town. His compelling performance makes the character relatable. There is very little of Apoorva in Meher, Apoorva Arora tells us, “Actually, the director (Parikshit Joshi), being a friend, knew how I function in life. For example, how I react to music or situations, what kind of books I read. Before the shoot, he asked me to put some things on hold. It was his way of putting me in the character. It really helps. I really like it when directors put these ideas in your mind. He made me stop listening to music, because Meher has gone through difficult times. I react to music in a certain way and enjoy dancing, which is very far from Meher.
Apoorva Arora also revealed that during the workshops, instead of asking the actors to work on the backstory, they were given a unique activity, “We (actors) were asked to write the obituary. It looks terrible when you see it. But later we realized that a lot of thought had gone into doing that exercise. When you work on a backstory, there’s always a tendency to glorify or victimize the character you play. When you write an obituary from a third-person perspective, it brings out something else. And it happened.”
Web series are unique compared to films in their overall structure, and the series requires actors to stay in the skin of the character for long periods of time. Elaborating on her process of transforming into a character, Apoorva tells us that it is also important to look back, “People have different ways of looking at a scene. For me, when you get into the character, you know what place it is and how things are. You can always go back to that state if needed. But as soon as they say cut, it is more important to return to reality. Because you have to go from one set to another. If you stay in character all the time, other aspects, including your mental health, are at risk. I can’t take this risk. I think it’s important to learn to get in and out of character.
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Apoorva Arora tells us that it was the script of ‘Family Aaj Kal’ that attracted her towards it. “When they sent me the script, I thought I’d read an episode or two and see how it goes. But it so happened, I read the entire script in one go. The script has layers. I have read a lot of scripts, but I didn’t want to leave this one because it stuck with me,” concludes Apoorva.
