It Is Not Discomfort; It Is Evolution: Arjan Bajwa On Taiwanese Cinema And Reinventing Himself

With Demon Hunters, Arjan Bajwa became the first Indian actor to lead a Taiwanese production, stepping into a completely different cinematic and cultural landscape. For him, the experience was not simply about working abroad. It was about immersion.

"Cinema is a universal language, but different languages, different places, different cultures definitely make a difference. I feel fortunate and lucky that I am the first actor to break into the Taiwanese cinema space. It was not a cakewalk because the way the story has been written, you have to involve yourself in the way they want to present the characters," he said.

The actor explained that adapting to Taiwan's filmmaking style required absorbing the culture, rhythm, and working methods of an entirely different industry.

"As an actor, it's your job to get yourself completely immersed and imbibe the place, the culture, the language, and the way films are shot in Taiwan. It widens your horizons and gives you a different perspective," he said.

The project also fulfilled a childhood fascination with martial arts cinema. He said, "As kids, we all grew up watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies, so all those fantasies of doing action like that in an action movie-that was my wish all my life, and thankfully it came true."

Working in Taiwan also made him reflect on the differences in filmmaking processes between industries. Comparing it to Indian film sets, Arjan observed that Taiwanese productions function with far more precision in scheduling and execution.

"I wouldn't say we are not disciplined, but we definitely are in India an organized chaos on the set. One thing I definitely noticed in Taiwanese cinema is that they are a little more organized in terms of what they want to do in that particular day," he said.

The actor also rejected the idea that taking on an action-horror-comedy at this stage of his career meant stepping outside his comfort zone.

"I wouldn't put it like that, rather it is evolution. The biggest dilemma is when one only chooses a certain type of story and cinema and keeps repeating and becomes very typecast," he said.

For him, evolution is the only way an actor continues to grow. He said, "I've had a very diverse filmography, in different realms, in different characters that I have played, which are completely opposite of each other."

"Acting is about living a situation, being real in unreal situations. It's evolution; it's mind control, both mental and physical, control and harmony. Stagnation obviously happens when you just don't want to evolve," Arjan ended.