‘Acting is much more than just being a star’
31 May 2013 10:52 PM IST
After two back-to-back successes – Rockstar and Barfi! – Ranbir Kapoor is all geared up for his next release, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. In a candid chat, the much-in-demand actor talks about how he picks his films, takes his career forward and the competition in Tinsel Town.
Post Rockstar and Barfi!, you’re back to playing the typical Hindi film hero in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani…
(Cuts in) To be honest, the characters I played in Rockstar and Barfi! were easy to portray. Somewhere behind these characters, there is always a reference to how they talk or walk, how they behave or what compelled them to become who they are or what strata of society they belong to. But the characters I played in Bachna Ae Haseeno or Anjaana Anjaani or Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani are quite difficult to portray because you have to reflect your own personality in them. You have to, kind of, show your own story.
I am an introvert and I don’t think I have a charming personality to show on screen. But I can act that out. So it is more challenging when you have to be yourself. Therefore, it was quite difficult to play this role. This film is not about heroism, it’s not about going back to playing a Hindi hero, it’s actually a very warm film.
It’s a love story about friendship but – and this is what made me say ‘yes’ to the film – it’s also about a boy who has desires and wants to achieve certain things in life. He also has ambitions. But regardless of what and how much he achieves, there has to be someone he can share it with. There is no point being happy if you can’t share that happiness.
Saawariya didn’t do well, and then you began doing films like Rocket Singh and Wake Up Sid. Have you ever regretted doing unconventional roles so early in your career?
Saawariya was a very big failure but thankfully the industry, the media and the audience always supported me. I also got the opportunity to work with good banners like Dharma Productions. Even Rajkumar Santoshi wanted to work with me at that time. After Saawariya, I had Bachna Ae Haseeno where I tried to be that star. You know, that romantic hero, with the songs, and tried to look good.
But it was only in Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani that I realised that acting is much more than being just a star. You become a good actor not by just looking good. I began to realise that I had to work with good directors and play interesting characters and that would ultimately add to my stardom and success.
So you decided to become an actor first and then a star.
Correct! I don’t think stardom exists. We are all created by the media. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan… You know, these are the real stars, and I think Hrithik Roshan was the last star we saw. Today, there is a lot of competition. A new boy or girl is launched practically every Friday and their films do well too. We have a super hit every week. So you have to maintain your standing as an actor, do good films with good characters and not cheat the audience and give them full entertaining films. Don’t take your job for granted. That’s how you move forward.
You must have been disheartened with the fate of Rocket Singh at the ticket counter. But, looking back, don’t you think it was the foundation for unconventional Indian movies like Rockstar and Barfi!?
I agree. When I was doing Wake Up Sid and Rocket Singh, everyone thought I was trying to do something different and that I would soon be back to doing routine stuff. But I wasn’t. When I decided to do Barfi! and Rockstar, everyone realised that I didn’t do Wake Up Sid and Rocket Singh just for the heck of it. When I was doing Barfi! and Rockstar, I knew they would be great films but I never expected them to become big successes.
What do you look for in a film before you decide to do it?
The director! That is the most important thing for me. I believe only a man who is a good story teller and is honest about narrating a story visually to the audience can make a successful film. That has been the case with almost all my films whether it was Imtiaz, Anurag Basu or Ayan. They came to me with a story and had their faith and conviction in it. I saw that in them, so I decided to do their films. That, and the character of course, are the two most important things I look at. I try and accept films that will push me to explore new capacities within me.
See as an actor, I know my limitations. I know there are certain films which will not suit me. Like, you can’t expect me to do something like a Dabangg. It won’t be believable. You need someone as big as Salman Khan to pull off a role like a Dabangg or an Akshay Kumar to do something like a Rowdy Rathore. They hit one guy and he goes crashing through the walls. If I were to do something like that, people would laugh at me.
You’re working with the same directors – Ayan Mukerji, Anurag Basu and Imtiaz Ali. Aren’t you limiting yourself?
When you work with like-minded people, you get along well and decide to work with them again and again. This doesn’t mean I will only work with them. A few years ago, I decided to work with Ayan and it was his first film. Today, I’m open to working with a first-time director if he or she convinces me with their conviction and story. I can work with any director, whether from Bengal or Gujarat.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is due next week. So we have to ask… what’s the response to the film?
I tend to get the same response for all my films so I am a little confused. Every time a trailer of my film releases, it’s always the same. They tell me it’s looking really nice. So nowadays, I have stopped trying to figure out these things.
I used to worry about things like the first look of the film, how well the trailer was received, what people were saying about the songs, what kind of opening it would get, will it make X amount of money by the first weekend? Like, the first thing I asked you was ‘what will the first day be like’, ‘what will the first weekend be like’.
By special arrangement with Box Office India.
Post Rockstar and Barfi!, you’re back to playing the typical Hindi film hero in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani…
(Cuts in) To be honest, the characters I played in Rockstar and Barfi! were easy to portray. Somewhere behind these characters, there is always a reference to how they talk or walk, how they behave or what compelled them to become who they are or what strata of society they belong to. But the characters I played in Bachna Ae Haseeno or Anjaana Anjaani or Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani are quite difficult to portray because you have to reflect your own personality in them. You have to, kind of, show your own story.
I am an introvert and I don’t think I have a charming personality to show on screen. But I can act that out. So it is more challenging when you have to be yourself. Therefore, it was quite difficult to play this role. This film is not about heroism, it’s not about going back to playing a Hindi hero, it’s actually a very warm film.
It’s a love story about friendship but – and this is what made me say ‘yes’ to the film – it’s also about a boy who has desires and wants to achieve certain things in life. He also has ambitions. But regardless of what and how much he achieves, there has to be someone he can share it with. There is no point being happy if you can’t share that happiness.
Saawariya didn’t do well, and then you began doing films like Rocket Singh and Wake Up Sid. Have you ever regretted doing unconventional roles so early in your career?
Saawariya was a very big failure but thankfully the industry, the media and the audience always supported me. I also got the opportunity to work with good banners like Dharma Productions. Even Rajkumar Santoshi wanted to work with me at that time. After Saawariya, I had Bachna Ae Haseeno where I tried to be that star. You know, that romantic hero, with the songs, and tried to look good.
But it was only in Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani that I realised that acting is much more than being just a star. You become a good actor not by just looking good. I began to realise that I had to work with good directors and play interesting characters and that would ultimately add to my stardom and success.
So you decided to become an actor first and then a star.
Correct! I don’t think stardom exists. We are all created by the media. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan… You know, these are the real stars, and I think Hrithik Roshan was the last star we saw. Today, there is a lot of competition. A new boy or girl is launched practically every Friday and their films do well too. We have a super hit every week. So you have to maintain your standing as an actor, do good films with good characters and not cheat the audience and give them full entertaining films. Don’t take your job for granted. That’s how you move forward.
You must have been disheartened with the fate of Rocket Singh at the ticket counter. But, looking back, don’t you think it was the foundation for unconventional Indian movies like Rockstar and Barfi!?
I agree. When I was doing Wake Up Sid and Rocket Singh, everyone thought I was trying to do something different and that I would soon be back to doing routine stuff. But I wasn’t. When I decided to do Barfi! and Rockstar, everyone realised that I didn’t do Wake Up Sid and Rocket Singh just for the heck of it. When I was doing Barfi! and Rockstar, I knew they would be great films but I never expected them to become big successes.
What do you look for in a film before you decide to do it?
The director! That is the most important thing for me. I believe only a man who is a good story teller and is honest about narrating a story visually to the audience can make a successful film. That has been the case with almost all my films whether it was Imtiaz, Anurag Basu or Ayan. They came to me with a story and had their faith and conviction in it. I saw that in them, so I decided to do their films. That, and the character of course, are the two most important things I look at. I try and accept films that will push me to explore new capacities within me.
See as an actor, I know my limitations. I know there are certain films which will not suit me. Like, you can’t expect me to do something like a Dabangg. It won’t be believable. You need someone as big as Salman Khan to pull off a role like a Dabangg or an Akshay Kumar to do something like a Rowdy Rathore. They hit one guy and he goes crashing through the walls. If I were to do something like that, people would laugh at me.
You’re working with the same directors – Ayan Mukerji, Anurag Basu and Imtiaz Ali. Aren’t you limiting yourself?
When you work with like-minded people, you get along well and decide to work with them again and again. This doesn’t mean I will only work with them. A few years ago, I decided to work with Ayan and it was his first film. Today, I’m open to working with a first-time director if he or she convinces me with their conviction and story. I can work with any director, whether from Bengal or Gujarat.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is due next week. So we have to ask… what’s the response to the film?
I tend to get the same response for all my films so I am a little confused. Every time a trailer of my film releases, it’s always the same. They tell me it’s looking really nice. So nowadays, I have stopped trying to figure out these things.
I used to worry about things like the first look of the film, how well the trailer was received, what people were saying about the songs, what kind of opening it would get, will it make X amount of money by the first weekend? Like, the first thing I asked you was ‘what will the first day be like’, ‘what will the first weekend be like’.
By special arrangement with Box Office India.
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