Kannappa actor Arpit Ranka has been a part of the industry for almost 20 years now. He made his Bollywood debut with Bholaa and is happy with whatever he has achieved so far. He said, “In my 20-year career, everything I have achieved is significant. It’s not like there’s anything small. I became Mr. India in 2006, then did some small roles in South Indian films. After that, I played a major role in the TV show Mahabharat. Gradually, I have done a lot of shows. After doing all the roles in TV shows, I felt like I had reached a certain step and decided to take a break from TV. Then I was offered a film, and I made my debut in a movie called Bholaa. After that, I did a film called Tavvai, which is about to be released. It features an anti-hero, meaning a villain who is also the hero. I got this break in Kannappa, which is what they call a worldwide break. It’s every actor’s dream.”
“Launching in such a big film and being mentioned in the teaser is a big deal. I’ve been getting calls from everywhere, from all my acquaintances. Everyone is very happy that my years of hard work have paid off. That’s the greatest happiness,” he added.
He revealed that since 2021, he has incorporated a devotional touch into his work, which has helped him get all these films. “In 2021, I visited Mahakal in Indore. Ten days after that visit, I got a call for the film Bholaa. When I visited the office to discuss the film, there was a huge statue of Mahakal. I started shooting for the film, and even during some of the significant scenes, Mahadev’s statue was present. Last year, while in Rajasthan, I decided to visit Mahakal again. That very day, I received a call for a Hindi film, saying, ‘Sir, we’re making a film, and we’d like you to be a part of it.’ I did that film, Tavvai, which was shot for a month at Ujjain Mahakal. It turned out very well and will be released in two months.”
“While I was shooting in Ujjain, on the last day, I got a call for the film Kannappa, which is about a great devotee of Lord Shiva. They wanted to cast me in a lead role alongside Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, and Mohanlal. This strong connection with Mahakal is something I wanted to share. All the movies I’ve got have a touch of Lord Shiva, and Kannappa is a film centered around Lord Shiva. Sometimes what we think and what God plans are different. I feel very lucky and grateful for everything I’ve received,” he added.
Do you think your physique is a big advantage for roles like these? “Absolutely right, the physique and look matter a lot for a villain because the impact of your personality comes across strongly. If my body wasn’t in shape or didn’t look the part, I wouldn’t be able to create such an impact. I believe that performance is the most important thing. If your acting performance is good, everything else will fall into place. These extra things, like physique, are like icing on the cake, making up about 10–15% of the overall impact. However, if you want to excel, you can’t just rely on acting or physique alone,” he said.
“You need to combine everything. My thinking is that people should remember me not just for my body, but also for my performance. That’s the most important point for me, and because of that, I am getting such good roles. People recognize me as an actor with a good physique and strong performance, which is the biggest plus point,” he concluded.
