Arjun Kapoor Talks About Seeking Therapy and Living With An Autoimmune Disorder
The actor signed on to Singham Again during the worst phase of his life. Now he’s receiving applause for his villainous turn
Arjun Kapoor is basking in the success of Rohit Shetty's star-studded actioner Singham Again, in which he plays the main antagonist, Danger Lanka. But alongside the applause and accolades, personal and professional challenges have shaped the actor’s journey. In a candid conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kapoor opened up about how he’s processing the praise coming his way after a long stretch of onscreen and offscreen struggles.
He admits that when he signed onto Singham Again, he was going through the worst phase of his life “personally, professionally, emotionally, mentally, physically”.
The pressures of being a leading man in Bollywood and maintaining a certain image took a toll on Kapoor, who said he struggled with body image issues. “I went through my own physical issues — I'm a fat kid at heart, right? Eventually, I will always have to go through that. It creates a lot of mental trauma for years which you don't realise — your equation with food, your equation with taking care of yourself,” he said. Kapoor said that for a long time, he equated hard work with long hours and neglecting his health. “Hard work was working 18 hours a day. Hard work was never taking care of myself.” A period of personal reflection led him to seek therapy.
A major aspect of Kapoor's health struggles also stem from living with an autoimmune disorder. “My health has always been, unfortunately, something which I've not openly spoken about,” he said. “I have something called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It's an extension of having a thyroid issue. Your antibodies fight against you. It's almost like I can take a flight and gain weight because the body goes into stress.”
Kapoor explained that managing an autoimmune condition requires a delicate balance of self-care and stress management. “The stress mode is when your antibodies believe something is wrong, and it goes into action,” he said. “The more relaxed I am, the better I look — which is ironic, because in this profession, you're not really relaxed.”
Following a personal battle, Kapoor experienced a professional slump. "I was not a happy person and the fire within me diminished," he said. "And I’m taking this opportunity to say that if I had not sought therapy, even if this film had turned out the way it did, I would still be a conflicted soul on a personal level."
Kapoor’s personal growth aligned perfectly with the release of Singham Again. As he reflected on his journey, he remarked, “If I had not taken those two steps back I wouldn’t be able to take these five steps forward.”