Happy Birthday Arjun Kapoor: Lesser known facts about Bollywood's Ishaqzaade that will blow your mind

When you're born in a filmy house, superstars associated with the surname, it is automatically expected out of the young clan to take the bandwagon ahead and maintain the movie legacy of a family. Arjun Kapoor, who was born in the house of director and producer Boney Kapoor, started at an early age, as an assistant director but later realised his true calling and entered Bollywood as an actor.

Though he was a Starkid and might not have to stand in the audition lines for hours to get his first break, Kapoor's journey has not exactly been a bed of roses. Arjun, who has turned 35 today, had to work hard not only on his acting skills but also on his appearance. Weighing a little more than usual, Arjun knew that if he wants to work in the industry, constantly scrutinised on the basis of looks, he has to get in the shape.

Arjun began his filmy journey with Ishaqzaade, opposite Parineeti Chopra and has never looked back ever since. Completing almost eight years in the industry, Arjun has developed a love-hate relationship with the viewers. Some love him, some hate him and bash him but trust me, everyone wants to know about him. From his personal life and relationship with Malaika Arora to love for his mother, a lot has already been written and said about the Birthday Boy Arjun, still there are several things you might not know about him.

Here's a list of some lesser-known facts about the Aurangzeb fame Arjun Kapoor:

1. Arjun Kapoor's funny nickname and the secret behind it

While we already had Lolo, Bebo and Duggu, digesting Arjun Kapoor's nickname 'Fubu' was not that difficult for the fans. Though the name sounds like a gibberish sound that a child makes, interestingly, it's the name of a foreign clothing brand. Since Arjun was an overweight lad growing up, his friends named him Fubu because he used to wear the clothes from this brand.

Talking about the same, Arjun once disclosed, "My friends still call me Fubu. It used to be a brand of clothing in America and they used to have clothes in big sizes. Obviously, I was fond of wearing colourful clothes, but I used to never fit into them. So Fubu used to make football jerseys and I used to only wear those and roam around."

"I was fond of sports, but I couldn't play, so I used to wear the jerseys. And the name is stuck by even today. Priyanka Chopra calls me Fubu on sets and I keep reminding her that you cannot call me that, at least not on the sets. It is very strange."

2. Arjun Kapoor's 'fear' of ceiling fans

Some people are afraid of the dark, or dogs, cats and other animals, but a ceiling fan? That's a new one. While we all have seen Arjun in a macho avatar on the screens, fighting the goons, did you know that he is actually phobic to ceiling fans? Arjun has self-admitted he has an odd phobia of ceiling fans and apparently he doesn't have a single ceiling fan in his house.

3. Arjun Kapoor's first experience in the movie world was not as an actor

Arjun Kapoor, just like his buddy Varun Dhawan, started his journey in Bollywood as an assistant director. He assisted movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love. He has also been the assistant producer for Salman Khan's 'No Entry' and 'Wanted', both of which were produced by his father Boney Kapoor.

4. Arjun Kapoor- Salman Khan: The love-hate relationship

Arjun, even before he made his entry in the B-Town, was dating the younger sister of Salman Khan, Arpita Khan. He has always considered Salman as an inspiration and never shied away from accepting that. Panipat fame used to weigh 140 Kg during his young days and it was Salman Khan who pushed him to lose weight. In an interview, Arjun had disclosed, "It took me 4 years to lose 50 kgs and this happened after Salman Sir said to me, 'Tumhare andar se main ek insaan nikalunga.' He actually did that! I had decided I would not give up and continued working towards it."

Salman also used to praise Arjun and blessed him with a bright future. All was good under the hood till Arjun Kapoor started dating Malaika Arora, Salman Khan's sister-in-law who was married to his brother Arbaaz Khan.

As per the rumours, their relationship has gotten sour ever since Arjun started dating Malaika. Salman has apparently stopped talking to him and both the stars have been spotted ignoring each other on several events. Though, both of them have kept quite on the same and never badmouthed each other, openly.

5. Arjun Kapoor and 'Maa' his tattoo

Arjun Kapoor loves his late mother Mona Kapoor and misses her, every day. Losing a mother is a great loss yet Arjun has always kept her alive and with him in his heart. He was extremely close to his mother and has a tattoo named 'Maa' on his right wrist in her memory.

6. Arjun Kapoor and his dream to direct a movie

We all have seen and adored Arjun as a megastar he is, but did you know that his dream was to direct a movie at one point? Arjun had revealed, "I was 140 kg, was assisting Nikhil Advani in Salaam-E-Ishq and had a girlfriend (Arpita Khan), would party and felt my life was headed in the right direction and felt sorted and thought that I would direct my film by 22, till she broke up with me and suddenly I was confused about what my future held for me."

Arjun still harbours a desire to direct a movie and has disclosed that he will not star in his own directorial debut.

7. Arjun Kapoor first paycheque

No matter if you're a Starkid or a commoner, the first self-earned salary means a world to everyone. At the age of 17 when Arjun was working on Kal Ho Na Ho with Nikhil Advani in Dharma Production, he got his first paycheque as an assistant director.

8. Arjun Kapoor is a die-hard football fan

Arjun is fond of football and is addicted to watching matches. However, his love is not only restricted to the screen, but he also loves to play the sport whenever he gets time. He has been spotted playing with Abhishek Bachchan, Ishaan Khatter, Ranbir Kapoor and MS Dhoni, very often.

He's a man of a simple taste, who has not only bein an amazing actor but also a protective brother for sister Anshula, step-sisters Jahnvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor, and a support system to father Boney Kapoor. Indeed, he's the most wanted Munda of Bollywood!

International Business Times, India wishes Arjun Kapoor a very warm and healthy birthday!