Arjun Kapoor hones basketball skills for his Half Girlfriend

7 May 2016

He honed his culinary skills in his last release Ki & Ka . Now, it is time for Arjun Kapoor to get sporty for the big screen. To prepare for his part in his next big film Half Girlfriend, Arjun has hit the court to play basketball.

"In the film, amongst other things that he does, Arjun Kapoor is also required to play basketball," informs our source. "He has been practicing for hours at stretch since December last year. The film is set to go on floors this month and Arjun Kapoor has developed his skills big time to be able to take on the other big boys of the sport." In fact, Arjun Kapoor, who is six feet tall, has played centre during inter-school basketball tournaments. Though over the years, he worked towards spending time in front of the camera; his recent exposure to all the outdoor action in 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' meant that leaning back towards basketball wasn't tough.

"It has been one experience for sure because I am turning into a completely different man for Half Girlfriend ," says Arjun, "Other than playing basketball, I am also learning Bhojpuri. That practice is also on." To be directed by Mohit Suri, the film, which is releasing exactly a year from now (on 28th April 2017), is based on Chetan Bhagat's novel 'Half Girlfriend', and features Shraddha Kapoor opposite Arjun Kapoor. That would also mark Arjun Kapoor's return with a younger on-screen partner after Kareena Kapoor Khan with whom he has just delivered a clean hit.

"I am happy that there is some kind of conversation that has happened post the film. People should talk about what they want to do. If someone wants to work and another wants to take care of home, that's okay. Why should gender come in between? Aisi baatcheet ke liye open forum chahiye, naa ki ek closed door debate . I am glad Ki & Ka managed that," says Arjun.

Meanwhile, what happens next? "Well, I am taking one film at a time. I want to give some time properly to Half Girlfriend before I plunge into anything else," Arjun says before signing off.

Half Girlfriend is all set to go on floors this month.