Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's journey to tinseltown glory may seem like a joyride thanks to their famous surnames, but the two young actors don't take their work lightly or their success highly. Ahead of the release of their film 2 States, they chatted with the Bombay Times, (Times of India) team about being cool with kissing on screen, dealing with competition and reading gossip about themselves.

Arjun, you've kissed Parineeti Chopra in Ishaqzaade and Alia in 2 States. Who is the better kisser?
Arjun: I really like kissing Alia. She is the best kisser. I don't look at it as a comparison. Everyone is different. It would be unfair to compare, but yeah, she is very good.

Alia: I'll explain. When he kissed Parineeti, he was Parma and she was Zoya. At that time he didn't like her. He kissed her to trap her. When he kisses me, he genuinely loves me. So, that is why it is a better kiss.

Arjun: Also, in Ishaqzaade, it was my first kiss. In that context, I was a bit nervous. The scene is very wrong, so I had to be an animal with Parineeti. This is much more gentle and simpler. And in the film you'll see that Alia kisses me, so it plays out very well.

Is kissing in films no longer a big deal?
Alia: It's not that we go around the set thinking 'oh, today we are going to kiss, so let's enjoy'. It's not that. It's acting. If it's important for the script, so be it.

Arjun: It's all in context. In 2 States, they are in a live-in relationship. That intimacy was important. Rather than having three intimate scenes, a kiss can go a long way in explaining the love between two individuals.


How do you react to rumours of your link-up?
Arjun: It comes with the territory...

Alia: Which territory? This territory... this proximity... this fact that I like kissing you and you like getting kissed by me. The territory is part and parcel of the profession. I think we should just confess to create confusion. But we are not a couple.

What do you dislike about each other?
Arjun: Alia is a liability in heels; she trips and falls all the time and has no equilibrium. A little more composure is what she needs; she's pretty good otherwise.

Alia: I feel like he is a closed person, he expects me to understand without saying anything. But the thing I dislike most is that sometimes he works so much that he doesn't realise he is so exhausted. He never takes a break and that affects me mentally. He just doesn't listen to me.

Is it cliched for a star kid to debut in a film made by his or her father?
Alia: To each his own. Even though we both debuted with different production houses, people keep saying 'father, father'. For everything, 'father'. I try to dodge it, but it's difficult. I had honestly decided that I would debut outside my father's banner. But if no one was giving a film to me till 25, I would've turned to my father. He has still not offered me a film, so it shows it's always not that easy.

Arjun: People have even said my father paid Aditya Chopra to make a film for me. It's illogical. People say what they have to say. We worked towards the opportunity we got, we both auditioned for it. If I wasn't getting that opportunity, obviously I would've made my debut with my father.


Any advice you got from your parents before you joined the industry?
Alia: My parents keep telling me to be thick skinned in the industry. They tell me how people will put you up on a high platform and then bring you down. They also tell me to not believe in the image created by the hype.

Arjun: I've grown up watching my father and Anil chachu's films, their dedication and hard work, highs and lows in the family, the Friday verdict, et al. I've never sat down with my father like this to get advice, but I have learnt a lot. But one piece of advice from Adi (Aditya Chopra) that I got is something I always hold on to. When I auditioned for Ishaqzaade, he told me that I wasn't the conventionally good-looking guy, but I must understand that I am a good actor and that will define me.

From that day, I have never cared about my looks so much. I just act according to my director's wish. As a person, my father said you work hard, and Anil chachu also said that you will have to work 100 per cent everyday and be respectful. Rest, you can't control.