Gaurav Arora gears up for Raaz Reboot

After John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi, it seems like the Bhatts have a new poster boy in model-turned-actor Gaurav Arora who is all set to star in Raaz Reboot along with Emraan Hashmi and Kriti Kharbanda. In a chat with us, Gaurav talks about working with the Bhatts and more. Excerpts:

How much pressure do you have as a debutante to carry the legacy forward of Raaz franchise I haven’t thought of it as such. I am very nervous but not because it’s a franchise. I am excited it is a very important film in my career at this time. This film will be the springboard for my future endeavours. Apart form this; Raaz is the only horror franchise in the commercial Bollywood space, which has this kind of popularity. I am sure the loyal Raaz franchise lovers are expecting a lot from this film.

Is there any pressure to prove as a Bhatt camp discovery I don’t feel the pressure so much because there are bigger names in the film, especially Emraan who has been the part of the film from the second franchise. I am very comfortable with the way film has been promoted. It is a platform to showcase my talent because people will definitely come to see it. No one came to see my debut film Love Games but at least this won’t be the case with Raaz Reboot.

So, you mean brand power matters to make a franchise hit There are films that have made it on their own, but in films like this, there is a certain section of the audience, say around 30 percent, which will come to see the film for sure.

Do you believe that horror is underrated in Bollywood I feel that there is a huge market for horror films in India. If you look at all those Hollywood films be it Conjuring or Lights Out, they did well but I feel somehow actors are scared to do such films. I feel lucky to be the part of Raaz Reboot in my second film. The film has a lot of romance and musical elements mixed in with the horror, which is similar to the first film in the Raaz franchise. But I feel as if our audience is very small as compared to English speaking audience.

Are Indian horror films inefficient or incompetent as per Hollywood standards I feel that the audience can be somewhat wannabe at times. If they see a ghost or a cross in Hollywood films, they can accept it but if they see a mangalsutra in an Indian film, they laugh. Also, Hollywood films have bigger budget and bigger returns while Bollywood has smaller budgets. I feel songs and emotions are the strengths of Indian films.

How was it working with Emraan Hashmi It was fun shooting with him but we didn’t shoot a lot of scenes together. We shot for three days. I used to think that there should be no retakes because of me but it happened in the very first scene. Later, I went up to him and apologised but he was okay and made me feel comfortable. He is not like his roles. I also clicked with Kriti Kharbanda since we are both newcomers.

Coming to your role in Raaz Reboot, what is it like I am playing a rich debonair banker in the film. My character is very intense speaks through his eyes. I was asked to put on some weight for this role.