Aditya Roy Kapoor as Tariq in Daawat-e-Ishq

In Friday film Daawat-e-Ishq, Aditya Roy Kapoor plays a Lucknowi chef who whips up kebabs and biryani, but when we walked into the 28-year-old actor’s make-up room at YRF Studios recently, he was munching on fruits. “I didn’t feel like eating anything and so I asked for some fruits. I thought I’ll get a bowl of mixed fruit. Instead, I’ve got two,” he says, pointing to the bowls of papaya and watermelon. While eating healthy, the Aashiqui 2 actor spoke about bingeing on ice cream and being Zen about all the talk of his relationship with Shraddha Kapoor.

Do you cook?

Do eggs count? I can make omelettes and scrambled eggs. My mom taught me to add milk to the eggs before beating it. And then to cook it on a low fire so it doesn’t dry out. That’s the extent of my culinary abilities.

Any disasters in the kitchen?

It would be very shameful if I messed up something as basic as eggs... so thankfully, no.

Soul food for you is…

All the bad stuff — pizza, nalli nihari, burgers, mutton and prawn curry.

Your Daawat-e-Ishq co-star Parineeti Chopra told us that you like pizzas. Are you obsessed like she is?

(Laughs) I think I am. There is nothing like a good pizza. I am okay with a Pepperoni or Barbecue Chicken.... I also love ice cream. I can have a half-kg tub in a night. I like Baskin Robbins Honey Nut Crunch and Bavarian Chocolate. When you order the Honey Nut Crunch, make sure to ask them to give more nuts… they are caramelised... and so yum!

I am thankful and grateful to have had those experiences (Action Replayy, Guzaarish and London Dreams) and to have worked with those people. If I had started off as a ‘hero’, I would have never had the opportunity to work on those films and learn from actors like Hrithik (Roshan) or Ajay (Devgn). Those films were like my schooling

What is perfect date food for you?

People say that romantic meals should not be messy, but I believe you should get messy! You shouldn’t have to be all prim ’’ proper on a date. You should be able to roll up your sleeves and dig in! (Laughs) If you can’t eat dal and rice with your hands, there is no hope for the relationship. So, Indian food with all the curries and dal and rice…

…and cut onions? Ewww!

Why not? If both of you are eating onions, then it’s fine (laughs).

Have you ever travelled to some place specifically for its food?

Not really. But I would love to travel all over our country and eat. I am so glad that I am getting the opportunity to travel to some parts during the promotions of Daawat-e-Ishq to eat some amazing food from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Maharashtra. I want to go to south India and the Northeast.

As actors you are all on constant diets. Is there anything that you have cut off your diet?

Not really. Everyone has cheat days. Also, you can eat everything in moderation. The only problem is I don’t know how to do anything in moderation. I am an extremist. If I am on a diet, I don’t want to look at food but when I start eating, I binge. It is not a very good trait but I am working at being moderate.

What do you binge on?

Oh! It’s a mixed bag — from sandwiches to pizza to biryanis…essentially I will eat everything and anything I can get my hands on! (Laughs)

Do you have a sweet tooth?

I do! And it’s a ridiculous sweet tooth. I am going to extract it and throw it out! But seriously, I have to lose weight for the next film I have to do and so I need to stop eating sweets.

Is there any food that you don’t eat?

When I was small, I wouldn’t eat vegetarian food. I wouldn’t eat vegetables at all, but I am getting better now.

Do you have a culinary wish list?

I want to eat authentic Mediterranean food or Ethiopian or even really good Mexican or Peruvian. I want to try out cuisines from different parts of the world. Anything that is not Chinese, Thai or Italian.

All my interviews are headlined either ‘We are friends’ or ‘I am single’. I guess there is nothing I can do. I can’t let my mood be dictated by what I read about myself that morning… I’ll go mad. So I choose to be Zen — on talk of his relationship with Shraddha Kapoor

Where did you have the most memorable meal recently?

I went to Nobu in New York. That was a good meal. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu and I ate like a mad man!

From food to films, how much did Aashiqui 2 change your life?

It changed it completely, professionally and personally. I have more opportunities now. I am being looked at in a new light. People think that I can be a solo hero, which is fantastic. Personally, life has changed because I am a recognisable face now. I can’t just play cricket with my friends on the road anymore or go for a jog in the park or have a meal without having to take a picture every three minutes. There is always someone looking at you, so I have to behave and look right all the time. I can’t just slouch in a restaurant or make faces…or even dig my nose! It’s changed the way I live my life.

How do you look back at your earlier films like Guzaarish or Action Replayy or London Dreams?

Very, very fondly… I am thankful and grateful to have had those experiences and to have worked with those people. If I had started off as a ‘hero’, I would have never had the opportunity to work on those films and learn from actors like Hrithik (Roshan) or Ajay (Devgn). Those films were like my schooling. I didn’t start acting knowing that this is what I want to do. I signed my first few films on a lark… it was only while I was making those films that I realised that I loved acting.

Do you think you’ll do an ensemble film like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani or a role like Guzaarish now that you have experienced what it means to be a solo hero?

(Pauses) I think I will be doing solo films because that’s what is coming my way right now. I don’t want to look at a script because it’s an ensemble film, but it would have to be absolutely fantastic for me to do it.

Being the leading man also comes with the pressure of being the face of a film.

It is something to think about because there is so much money riding solely on you. There is no one else to shoulder the responsibility. But I guess that’s a good problem to have! (Laughs) I have wanted to be in this situation, so it doesn’t make sense to lose too much sleep over it now that I am here. Daawat-e-Ishq is my second solo film (after Aashiqui 2) and I am still learning what this pressure is like and how to deal with it.

Are you just as Zen when comes to the scrutiny of your personal life? Everyone is waiting for Shraddha and you to ‘come out’ as a couple.

I think I am getting more Zen. All my interviews are headlined either ‘We are friends’ or ‘I am single’. I guess there is nothing I can do. I can’t let my mood be dictated by what I read about myself that morning… I’ll go mad. So I choose to be Zen.

Karishma Upadhyay Will Aditya Roy Kapoor make it as a solo hero? Tell t2@abp.in